Duels, camaraderie and ticked boxes

A two-day game might not be the best practice ahead of a gruelling Test series. For South Africa, it offered the only chance to get into the groove of playing the longer format. A large contingent of players from the team went through the grind in limited overs in India but as Russell Domingo, South Africa's coach, says, "It was all about getting some time on the legs." From that perspective, South Africa got what they wanted.

Their fast bowlers bowled enough overs in the first innings and the second allowed more time for the spinners. The second innings was largely an attempt at exactly that, acclimatising to conditions and getting that 'feel' of staying out in the middle for a long time. There's no other reason for someone like Dale Steyn to be just out on the field for 30 overs without being called up to bowl.

Similarly, on the batting front, it gave 'the batters a chance to get used to the conditions,' as Domingo says. It was a pity that the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl did not score much. They will form a pivotal part of the Test line-up. However Domingo makes a valid point about someone like AB de Villiers getting used to the longer format.

"The most important thing was getting back into Test mode. He (De Villiers) hasn't played a Test since January. And we don't play a lot of Test cricket. Batting and leaving a few balls was of paramount importance to him and fortunately he ticked all the boxes," Domingo said.

The tour game also allowed South Africa to test out how fit Morne Morkel was despite bowling only five overs on the first day. But a fitness test closer to the Test would help them assess his fitness better says Domingo. The same holds good for JP Duminy as well.

That the pitch at Brabourne, in stark contrast to the pitch for the last one-dayer at Wankhede, offered a lot of bounce and carry which meant that the spinners as well as the batsmen eager to get some practice against spin did not get a chance to fully test out their mettle.

Domingo believes the 'media speculations andrumours' that hint towards a spin-friendly wicket at Mohali, contrary to its reputation. It did not help themdecide on which spinner to use for the first Test. Simon Harmer and Dane Piedt, the off-spinners, are seen as bowlers who can do the 'holding role' while Imran Tahir is the 'attacking option.' But South Africa will take a call on which way to go only depending on the pitch. All three got to bowl quite a bit in the practice game so they do have the 'time on their legs'.

Amla's form was not a cause of concern, said Domingo, even as the South African Test skipper toiled away in the nets. He was looking rather uncomfortable trying a few attacking shots against throw-downs but missing and edging plenty. There's no doubt that he will be doing a lot more work on his batting before the first Test.

The informal nature of the game also allowed for a variety of interactions to take place. Michael Hussey is a batting consultant for South Africa. Domingo was impressed with how he gelled in with his work ethic. "Despite being an Australian, he is a very nice bloke," chuckled Domingo. Hussey was out there giving a few tips to Dean Elgar after the game on one corner of the ground. But the interactions didn't stop there.

Just a day after Shane Warne regaled adjectives on Adil Rashid and Yasir Shah, the mutual admiration society of leg-spinners made an appearance in Brabourne. Imran Tahir was seen offering a few tips to Karn Sharma quite enthusiastically. He repeatedly showed Karn his wrist position for a particular variation and even corrected his run-up a bit.

"The South Africans carry themselves very well," says Domingo on being questioned about the popularity of the players in India. "We wish AB was playing his 100th Test every game because they just love him here," he gushes.

The gushing was plentiful from the stands as well. "ABD, ABD," they went when India were batting the second time around. De Villiers would respond with a few jigs with his hand to get the crowd going crazier. Slowly though, the fans, mainly comprising of school kids, drew the attentions of Kagiso Rabada, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla with similar chants. Every chant was responded to.

And if you thought that the admiration for South Africa was limited to just the fans then you are off the mark. Shardul Thakur, BPXI's best bowler on view, was emphatic in proclaiming that this game was an important one for analysing where he stood as a player. The confident young man explained why he kept the ball 'in the corridor' to Amla early in his innings, spoke about how late swing was always his strength but it was his duel with ABD that caught the eye.

"I asked him (de Villiers) about his first scoring shot against me. He hit me between cover point and point. I asked him about that. Because what I felt was he really got under the ball and cut me. I don't think the ball was bad. He played an exceptional shot," says a wide-eyed Thakur.

AB's reply was, "it was not a good ball for him," says Thakur and smiles. That he was enjoying the battle was evident from afar. The first time he went past de Villiers' bat with a pacy, length delivery, Thakur could not contain himself from doing an extended follow-through with a smile. His battle was for recognition and reaffirming to himself that he belonged there.

Lessons learned, purpose served for both teams.