By Jacques KallisThe problem with producing an innings as amazing as VirenderSehwag did in Chennai is that everybody expects you to do it again! The eyes and ears of the cricket playing world will be focussed onViru over the next couple of days, never mind his millions of Indianadmirers.
I have no doubt that he will happily and easily accept thissituation and won't feel any extra pressure – at least, not until hewalks out to bat and is preparing to face his first ball. It takesskill and training to clear the mind before and during sports eventswhen the adrenalin is pumping and muscles become tense. Sometimes, tryas we might to ignore it, we all fall victim to 'the occasion' andmake a mistake.
The other thing I have learned is that when a single playerattracts so much attention before an important game, it invariablycreates a 'smokescreen' allowing someone unexpected to slip under theradar with a match-winning contribution.
The truth is, I don't honestly believe that India and South Africacould ever select anyone in their starting XI who isn't capable ofbeing a match-winner. Numbers 1-11 in both teams will have hadexperience of winning matches with bat or ball and all are capable ofrepeating the feat in a Test match.
Sachin's injury is a sad blow for both sides. India's loss isobvious – he is just 172 runs away from being the most prolificrun-scorer of all time and he has 39 Test centuries. But I also feel asense of disappointment that he won't be there because competingagainst India with Sachin in the XI is just a bit more 'special' thanwhen he is missing. I thoroughly enjoy the sense of awe that hecommands on the field.
We were pleasantly surprised by our first look at the pitch onTuesday morning. Far from under-preparing the wicket the headgroundsman seems to have done everything he could to produce a fairsurface. The pessimists in our squad were predicting a dry, crackedpitch before the match even started but that was not the case. I heardthe groundsman quoted as saying that 'a pitch was not just for 11 or22 players, it was for all the other people involved who want to see agood game.' Good for him! However, I have also been told that this is the first Test matchout of nine at this stadium to be played in the summer months andseveral locals have told us that it really is too hot to play cricketat this times of year. No matter how much water is on the pitch beforethe start, after three days of 40 degree temperatures the pitch isbound to have dried out. No wonder the spinners are looking forward tothe last couple of days!
The bonus for us is that the heat is 'dry' unlike in Chennai wherethe humidity made life very hard, especially for those of us who sweata lot! But dry heat is typical of the majority of South Africa (Durbanis the only exception) so we will be more comfortable here.
As a team we have been looking forward to the challenges of thisseries for four or five months, right from the beginning of ourseason. Now that we are in the thick of it, we are as excited as ever.Now all I need to do, from a personal point of view, is spend a fewhours at the crease and make some runs. I can't wait.
Hawkeye Communications / Chivach Sports