India must play three spinners

The Indians were greeted by showers on arrival at Bangalore. The dark clouds and showers probably were symbolic of the emotions of the cricket fans in the country. With the loss at Mumbai, Tendulkar's team faces an uphill task of having to square the series. The only way that can be achieved is by being positive and that too under conditions where the visitors can't really hope to upstage the hosts. Obviously, the wicket has to be a rank turner or a Bunsen burner as the English call it.

The return of Sadagopan Ramesh into the side will provide more hope as he has a vital role to play in providing a good start. His proven temperament will be under test as he has been out of cricket for some time due to the injury he sustained in Australia. His basic indifferent nature should help him in tiding over all these factors. The main focus will be on Azharuddin as he is back in the side after a gap of almost eight months. There have been instances of eminent cricketers struggling after a long interval and it remains to be seen if Azharuddin will prove to be different. The fact that he is coming back into the side in his least favoured venue might also cause some anxiety to him. Hopefully, this is where his vast experience will make a major difference.

Only a very positive attitude can fetch success for the Indians rather than the individual eclat. The amount of responsibility the established cricketers take upon themselves will also determine the success of the team. Three spinners have to be played in order to bowl the opponents twice and Agarkar's token presence (on turners) can be done away with as he was hardly pressed into the attack in the last Test. One can hope that playing on the home ground will inspire Dravid to play more freely than he has been recently.

The South Africans will be looking to win the series and if they have to do it, their batsmen will have to play exceedingly well. Cullinan's return will add to the batting strength but it is a known fact that he does not relish playing against the spinners. The South African spin bowlers may not pose problems for the Indians but their fast medium bowlers should be countered with more aplomb.

In the ultimate analysis, the psychological advantage is with the South Africans since they have delivered the first knockout punch at Mumbai. For the Indians, the spinners have to win the match but they can only do so provided the batsmen put up enough runs on the board. If the Indians miss this opportunity then there is not much hope left for them in the one-dayers as the Springboks are more than formidable in that version of the game.