Reality met metaphor on the fourth day of the match, as clouds hung over the game.

Rain denied spectators the soggy sight of the inevitable Indian collapse; to be fair though, India might well have continued batting with the doughtiness they showed in the time they did get out in the middle, and redeemed themselves even more.

South Africa's bowling was strangely uninspired, with Shaun Pollock, of all people, straying repeatedly. The Indians have been susceptible to the short-pitched stuff throughout this tour; the only short balls they got facing the new ball today were not the scary, in-between-neck-and-forehead sort, but the innocuous wide variety, which were either square-cut or flicked off the hips by SS Das and Connor Williams, depending on the line. Ntini was the best of the bowlers - purely by process of elimination.

Williams looked confident today, and was brutally efficient in putting away some of the bad deliveries that he did get. This puts the Indian team in a bit of a quandary. He made 42, so it would be cruel to discard him now; yet, if Sadagopan Ramesh is fit, they can't keep him out either, considering his creditable performance in Sri Lanka. And, whenever Virender Sehwag does play next, the only way to accommodate him will be to ask Dasgupta to open. So what happens to Williams?

He did play some good strokes today, but still does not look the part. His footwork was iffy, he played often with his bat held away from his body, and got out in a disappointingly Ramesh-esque way - flashing at a ball well outside off, when within sight of his fifty.

If Shiv Sunder Das was an automobile, he'd start beautifully, coast smoothly for a while, and then stutter to a halt, to leave the driver stranded. Das has eight fifties in his career, and only one hundred. He was out in the 40s in both innings of this match, and the prospect of his ending up the top scorer in both innings does not absolve him. It seems harsh to ask more of a man who averages over 40 as an opening batsman in Tests, but the fact remains that he is not doing justice to his ability by failing to convert his starts. From Ramesh, such performances would be acceptable; Das is capable of much, much more.

Amit Varma is assistant editor, Wisden.com India.

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