Triangular Tournament
South Africa v India
Friday, October 5, 2001 Sourav Ganguly was wearing big sunglasses when he went out before the start today, but even those could not hide his disappointment at losing the toss, as the Indians were very keen to bat second in this match.

They need not have been so downcast though; the pitch looked more like Jamshedpur than Johannesburg – a flat track with hardly any lateral movement, but good bounce. Ganguly played one of his finest innings, and one aspect that stood out was the way he used his feet. While he normally steps out only to spinners, in this match he was charging the fast bowlers, and it worked beautifully. I once batted with him in an exhibition match when he hammered Aqib Javed [the Pakistani pace bowler] into the crowd. That stands out as one of the most memorable shots I have ever seen. Spectacular and effective at the same time, a highly potent combination.

Sachin Tendulkar clearly had a point to prove - that he could come back from injury and get into the groove of churning out runs straight away. He tends to play with renewed vigour when he has been away from cricket for a while; for example the hundred he made in the 1999 World Cup against Kenya, after his father's funeral.

In this innings, a mere mortal would have been satisfied with 50 or 60, especially as he didn't appear to be in great form. But his team needed a big total, and his own desire to excel on such an occasion inspired him to bat much longer.

I have my doubts though, if India's score will be enough on this surface. The South Africans will be glad that Harbhajan Singh isn't playing, and Javagal Srinath is unlikely to get much out of the pitch. Agarkar and Prasad could have shared the new ball, with Sourav and Sachin pitching in with a few.

Having played in South Africa, I can vouch that the lights there are very bad, compared even to Indian lights. The dew there is also a very big factor; it actually feels like you are playing shortly after it has rained. This will make it very difficult for the Indians.

I welcome the new rule of allowing only one bouncer per over. Ironically, this rule hasn't affected India at all, as they have gone on to make the highest ever score at the Wanderers!

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to Sambit Bal.

More Sanjay Manjrekar
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