Guwahati: “To borrow a phrase, we wanted them to really grovel.” When South African coach Shukri Conrad uttered these words after stumps on Day Four, the press room was left stunned. The Indian team and its peripheral contingent, used to believing that they are the bosses of world cricket, couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Tony Greig’s infamous, racist jibe ahead of the 1976 series against West Indies was answered by the Caribbean ‘fire in Babylon’ that resulted in a 3-0 win for Clive Lloyd’s team. But there isn’t enough fire in Barsapara in Gautam Gambhir’s boys to shout out loud at the end of the series: “Who’s grovelling now?” The Proteas, on the verge of a historic series win against India at the Assam Cricket Association ground, made India very hard through the fourth day. Sitting on a mountainous 288-run first innings lead, the visitors piled on 260-5 in the second innings, killing off any hopes of an Indian fightback. As the shadows got longer, a young Indian fan cried out, “Please bat, I have tickets for Day 5!” India limped to 27-2, needing another 522 runs to win. Everyone knows the eventual outcome on a deteriorating pitch. The best India can hope for is a draw, but only if the batters can bat out of their skins. Going by the evidence of the last hour’s play on Tuesday, that would be as good as a miracle. The pitch, with its natural wear and tear, has started to misbehave, with a few deliveries keeping low. Six-foot-eight Marco Jansen already seems to be in his element after the first-innings heroics, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal, who once again fell to the cut shot. The ball kept a little low, got the edge of Jaiswal’s bat, and the ’keeper Kyle Verreynne celebrated after completing the catch. The bigger worry for India could be around KL Rahul’s mode of dismissal. Offie Simon Harmer, pitching one just outside Rahul’s off-stump, turned the ball 6.1 degrees, which was a clear 2 degrees more than the turn that the Indian spinners managed on Day Four. The ball went through the gate, and Rahul’s dismissal late in the day was a huge blow for India’s chances of survival. Sai Sudharsan survived a very close leg-before shout, among a few other anxious moments, with night-watchman Kuldeep Yadav for company. “The pitch is turning and bouncing, and batting is not getting any easier. It will get tougher on Day Five, and we will have to apply ourselves to manage a draw. Obviously we can’t win it, but even if it’s a draw, it will feel like a win,” Ravindra Jadeja said at the end of the day’s play. Jadeja (4/62) became the fifth Indian to take 50 wickets against South Africa, but it was hardly a bother for the visitors, who went on with their merry ways. Probably the quick turn that Jadeja was getting in the second session would be a bigger worry for India than it was for South Africa. With the pressure of runs completely gone, the South African middle order weathered the slightly difficult moments and carried on with the charge. Tristan Stubbs (94) took the maximum toll of a demoralized Indian attack, while left-hander Tony de Zorzi (49) showed how to deal with spin on a track like this. He came down the track and forced the spinners to over-compensate with a slightly fuller length. Immediately, the southpaw unleashed his sweep, and there wasn’t much Washington Sundar, Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav could do about it. “When the pressure of run scoring or survival goes away, things become much easier. If we had won the toss, it could have been the same for us,” Jadeja said, trying to defend his team’s predicament. As South Africa carried on batting in the final session, one felt whether they were delaying their declaration just a little too much. But South Africa wanted to ensure that the series was wrapped up and that they get to use the new ball under fading light. Coach Conrad was slightly miffed when asked whether the declaration was delayed. “There’s no right or wrong to this. We wanted to use the new ball under lengthening shadows and have the newish ball for tomorrow as well,” he said. The coach followed it up with the ‘grovel’ bit, and it’s to be seen whether the Indian batters figure out the historical context of the ‘insult’ and manage a draw that helps them get a few crucial points in the run-up to the WTC Final.
