Clearly, India lost to a better side, and that's no disgrace. What was depressing was the inevitability of their surrender and the illiteracy of their cricket. It was a familiar pattern: three dropped catches, plenty of misfields, three run outs and suicidal slogs. India have learnt nothing, and will not learn in a hurry.

India were galloping rapidly and then chugging away smoothly in the first half of the innings. For any top one-day side, 151 for 2 after 28 overs would have been a commanding position, a situation from where victory was a matter of deft manoeuvres and sharp, intelligent cricket. But for India, it was the brink of catastrophe, a disaster waiting to happen. This is a side which will win a few good matches, but they will not become a good one-day side in the conceivable future.

South Africa are a great one-day side and it's clear why. They have eight men who can win a match to India's four. That's a double advantage and unless India's matchwinners play doubly well, India will struggle.

Between them Ganguly, Tendulkar and Dravid scored 193 runs, the rest managed only 37. The Indian 100 came up in 15.1 overs without the loss of a wicket -- the next 100 took 24 overs and cost six wickets. Not for the first time, the plot was lost in the middle overs after a bright start, and it had as much to do with disciplined bowling and brilliant fielding by the South Africans as it did with India's lack of basic understanding of the art of one-day cricket.

It's harsh on Ganguly after he played what could have been a matchwinning innings, but even he is guilty of backing into a situation where risk becomes a compulsion. He has done many things right as a batsman on this tour. Before the series started, the South Africans had a clear plan for him -- bowl short of length, aim at his ribs, cut off his supply line on the off side, cramp him for room and either get him fending or simply frustrate him out. But unknown to them and to the rest of the world, Ganguly has come up his own plan. He has unfurled leg-side strokes few knew he possessed and executed them with an authority that has astounded even his greatest admirers.

Ganguly the leg-side player is far from the fluent and elegant touch player on the off side, but he has been as effective. His pull to short-pitch balls is a mixture of the hoick and the flick. Instead of moving back and across, he moves back and away, creates room to free his arms and helps the ball on its way with a short flourish. It isn't pretty, but it is pretty profitable. But his problem remains, as always, his inability to nudge the ball around for singles. When the boundaries dried up in the middle overs, he fell trying to clear the fence when five singles would have done the job.

And as always, the opening and closing overs cost India dear: 79 came off the first 12. Srinath, naturally, pitched the ball too short and was punished, but it was Agarkar who was more profligate. Much fuss was made about his enforced absence from the last match against Kenya, but on the evidence of this performance it wasn't difficult to fathom why he was omitted. His first six overs cost 44 to Srinath's 35. Only 111 came off the next 24, all bowled by spinners. The last five overs cost 55. In all, Agarkar and Srinath gave away 119 runs in 18 overs and the four spinners -– Kumble, Harbhajan, Sehwag and Yuvraj -– 159 in 32.

Almost inevitably, Harbhajan was best Indian bowler once again. He has shown himself to be the most intelligent of the lot and he bowled with guile and skill. Only two boundaries were hit off his bowling: one was an exceptional late cut by Boeta Dippenaar, the other a desperate reverse sweep by Jonty Rhodes. Kumble too bowled well, better than his figures showed. It was a day where the stars had done the job, but the supporting cast never even showed up.

Sambit Bal is the editor of Wisden.com India.

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