LUCKNOW, India: With the mission to base camp out of the way successfully, South Africa move onto the second, steeper ascent of their Indian climb.
The One-Day International series starts tomorrow (5.30am SA time), and AB de Villiers takes over the reins from Faf du Plessis, who started the tour off on a perfect note.
De Villiers, who will shed the gloves in order to focus on his leadership, goes into the five-match series with his big boys back. Dale Steyn, Morné Morkel and Vernon Philander have come in, joined by left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso, for the 50-over internationals.
In a T20 World Cup year, one could never downplay the significance of the T20 series victory – especially against the tournament hosts and favourites – but expect things to get a lot more serious now.
India were hoping to turn the momentum of this marathon of a tour around in the last T20 international in Kolkata, by securing a morale-boosting win in the dead rubber at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
As it turns out, the cricket gods saw to it there was not a ball bowled, and the home side were left to stew a few days more on their laboured start to this Friendship Tour.
The hosts, to this point, have been a little bit too friendly, giving away their wickets, running each other out, and generally not turning up against tourists who are pouncing on everything that falls their way.
India, on the other hand, have been a pale shadow of their usual, expressive selves. Central to that has been the stifled start that Virat Kohli has had to this point.
Since the retirement of demi-god Sachin Tendulkar, the sprightly Kohli is looked upon as the heartbeat of the side.
If he gets going, anything is possible. He scores at such a wonderful pace that he can take the game away from the opposition in an hour. But he hasn’t managed an hour in total yet. He looked as if he was just getting into his stride in the opening T20, but his dismissal triggered an Indian collapse of sorts, which ultimately saw their efforts fall 20 runs short of victory.
His run-out and subsequent reaction in the second T20 said a lot. Kohli was fuming, having timed his first ball neatly off his pads, and been called back for a sharp second by Rohit Sharma. The free-scoring Sharma has that common frailty among classy batsmen – he is a terrible judge of a run.
Call it what you will, he often resembles an Indian bus driver arriving at a busy intersection. There is a stutter, a wide-eyed look, and then he puts the head down and hopes there is no crash. Sadly for India, there have been a few crashes already and they have cost the home side.
The Proteas, back on top of their fielding routine, will look to target that area of the Indian psyche – throttling the singles and hoping the pressure sends the bus driver down the wrong lane again.
The T20 series may have lacked the drama neutrals would have hoped for, but the one-day series should be a far meatier affair.
For one thing, Kohli and Sharma will resume hostilities with Steyn, who loves nothing more than seeing India’s best players tickling his bending bananas behind to the cordon.
Chuck in the emerging Rabada, the rejuvenated Morkel and the always bouncy Imran Tahir, and South Africa’s attack boasts both penetration and variation. It is up to India to make the running now.
The Proteas have set their stall out early, getting to market well before India have even got out of bed.
MS Dhoni, a snarling but savvy shop owner at the best of times, won’t stand by and let the visitors run amok in his backyard. Expect a riposte, and expect it sharpish. The mob is not amused. - Saturday Star