Azharuddin will be the cynosure

Opening matches of any tour generally do not generate much excitement among cricket fans. Admittedly, for members of the home side there is something to play for but for the visitors it serves as little more than limbering up exercise for the sterner tests ahead, even as they use the game to get acclimatized to the alien conditions. But cricket fans all over the country will follow the proceedings of the three day South Africans-Board President's encounter which commences at Mumbai on Saturday with more than ordinary interest.

For one thing, it is the first big game involving leading Indian cricketers following the Indian team's debacle in Australia. Secondly, with so much interest centered around whether Md Azharuddin will come back into the side, the performance of the former Indian captain will come under the microscope. Of course there are others who are on the comeback trail - the captain of the President's XI Ajay Jadeja and stumper Nayan Mongia. Then there are a host of other players for whom this match is very important. Players like Reetinder Sodhi and Md Kaif, members of the triumphant World Cup under-19 side in Sri Lanka and others like Arun Kumar, Wasim Jaffer, Murali Kartik and Amit Bhandari who have earned a place in the President's XI because of their excellent showing around the domestic circuit. And then of course there are players like Harbhajan Singh, T Kumaran, S Ramesh, Jacob Martin and D Mohanty who would like to put their experiences in Australia behind them and hope to use the Mumbai game for a turn in their fortunes for the better in the remaining part of the season.

For Azhar, this game could be among the most important games he has played in his long career. Public opinion seems to be in favour of an Azhar recall and he will be under some pressure when he goes out to bat at the Brabourne stadium. But at 37, Azhar is no spring chicken and has handled pressure situations many times in the last 15 years. The case of Jadeja and Mongia is no different in this regard.

Possibly next to the experienced trio, the other player who will attract considerable attention is Md Kaif. The victorious Under-19 captain has already been spoken of as an India player of the near future and he proved his skill and class by two splendid knocks during the Challenger Trophy at Ahmedabad last week. A good show at Mumbai could well see Kaif move that much closer to the India cap.

India opener Ramesh would like to use this game to work himself back into form following the injury he sustained in the final Test against Australia at Sydney. For the in form left arm spinner Murali Kartik, the game could be a turning point in his career. But of course this is an important match for all the young players - and those not so young.

The South Africans are aware that beating India on Indian tracks will not be easy. Rather than go all out for victory, Hansie Cronje might prefer to treat the game as an opportunity to get his players into the groove. Half of the 14-member team have not played in a Test against India and it is important that the newcomers get used to the conditions fast for this is the only game the visitors have before they play the first Test commencing at the nearby Wankhede stadium on February 24.