The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a grim view on the hour-long delay at the Barabati Stadium during the second T20 international match, which the Proteas eventually won by six wickets. So embarrassed are the BCCI, what with this being dubbed the Friendship Series, that they have requested a report from the province secretary, explaining just how the Cuttack venue failed to control a mischievous few in a crowd of 50 000.
The downside, of course, is that India’s powers that be will likely not bring international cricket back to the venue in a hurry. In India, where the sport is a religion, there is no shortage of massive stadia. The IPL took care of that. Such is the queue, and the politics surrounding the distribution of matches, that even the iconic Eden Gardens has only got the pittance of today’s dead rubber of a T20 international to host. In days gone by, a South African tour would have certainly seen at least one Test match in Kolkata, but the players have had to content themselves with a fleeting stop, on the way to new venues across the country.
“Eden Gardens is a special place, especially when there are almost 100 000 people in there,” Proteas middle-order ace David Miller remembered.
“You can barely hear yourself shout, because the crowd are just screaming for everything. It’s a pity there is only one game here, but there are so many grounds all over India nowadays,” he added.
The BCCI will be keeping a keen eye on the spectators in today’s match. With most tickets having been bought on the blind hope that the series would still be alive, many of those that do turn up today will demand a better performance from the home side.
Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh admitted that the hosts had been underwhelming, but also pointed out that there was still a lot of cricket to be played. And, of course, there is still an eye on the World Twenty20 next year.
“I don’t think we need to worry too much about the losses in our last two games. We are hurt by those losses but going forward and talking about the T20 World Cup, I think it is important to back the players who are probably the best players for the format. This has been the quality of this team; they have stuck to the players who they believe can win the game,” he said. Those sentiments echoed what skipper MS Dhoni has been adamant about since the first loss. The bigger picture. India, though disappointed in giving up the T20 series so limply, are confident that the lessons they take from here will reap bigger rewards down the line.
“We were one down in the Test series in Sri Lanka but we ended up winning the series. It was because of the belief that we had. We have lost the series here, but we still have a lot to play for. The ODIs are coming up and then the Test matches. Hopefully we will win tomorrow and from there onwards it could be a different story. Once we start winning we will be a difficult side to beat,” Harbhajan warned.
South Africa, meanwhile, will be keen to maintain their own momentum, mindful that the quick turnaround from T20 cricket to one-day mode will mean a win for India will be some sort of boost ahead of the longer format. The stage in Kolkata may be grander than the occasion, but India against South Africa is seldom a dull affair, anyway. If it’s not quite happening on the field, there are bound to be bottles flying around somewhere in the stands.
It’s the Indian way…
Teams
India: (likely) Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt, wk), Ambati Rayudu, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma.
South Africa: (likely) Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, JP Duminy (capt), Farhaan Behardien, David Miller, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Kyle Abbott, Chris Morris, Marchant de Lange, Eddie Leie.
Play in Kolkata starts at 3:30pm (SA time) with build-up on SuperSport 2 from 3pm.