Tweaker Tahir ready for the India battle
Leg-spinner may just be Proteas’ trump card in Melbourne showdown
EVER since Allan Donald hurried up Sachin Tendulkar and Co in the electric atmosphere of Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on South Africa’s official return to international cricket back in 1991, any battle between these two superpowers has largely centred on the Proteas’ fast men against the sub-continent team’s stellar batting line-up.
Both Donald and Tendulkar will be in the stands on Sunday when their respective teams lock horns at the MCG – an equally imposing venue – for a key Pool B World Cup clash.
Donald, of course, will be present in his role as South Africa’s bowling coach, while Tendulkar, now a World Cup ambassador, will be at his first World Cup match since lifting the coveted trophy in Mumbai four years ago.
India’s new generation of batsmen, headlined by Virat Kohli and supported by Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane are all stars in their own right already, yet they know their true worth can only be measured after an encounter with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander in a high-octane environment like the MCG on Sunday promises to be.
For all the box-office value of these oneon-one showdowns though, South Africa’s trumpcard may lie elsewhere on this occasion... in the form of Imran Tahir.
Although Steyn is set to recover from a bout of sinusitis that kept him away from training at the St Kilda Club yesterday, the Proteas have become reliant on Tahir to produce those precious mid-innings breakthroughs.
While all wickets have context and substance, the value of these scalps have quadrupled since the introduction of the rule that allows only four fielders on the boundary, as it has given well-set batsman the freedom to express themsleves to the maximum during the final 10 overs of a one-day international.
Due to Tahir’s innate ability to manufacture something with his concoction of googlies, leg-spinners and top-spinners, South Africa have been one of the few ODI teams to consistently bowl out the opposition. The Proteas were particularly effective during the previous World Cup where Tahir was initially wrapped in cotton-wool during the build-up to the event before being unleashed on the opposition with devastating effect.
Tahir claimed 14 wickets in his first major tournament for South Africa, but did not encounter the Indians at the 2011 jamboree due to a finger injury. In fact, this Sunday’s fixture will be Tahir’s first tussle with the defending world champions in an ODI despite having already played 31 matches (in which he has claimed an impressive 58 wickets at 19.81).
Considering that the likes of Kohli and Raina have been overfed on a diet of spin from the time they first picked up a bat, it will be a considerable challenge for the 35-year-old Tahir, especially in a country where he has struggled to find the right pace at which to bowl, leaving him vulnerable to attacks from opposition batsmen.
“Everyone knows the Indians play spin really well, but I need to be really positive and on the day I need to do what I did in the past,” Tahir said. “Australia is also a tough place to bowl, especially for the spinners, because the pitches are really flat. However, I think it is how you adapt to the situation and back yourself. I think that it is going to be key in such a big competition, the ability to keep it simple because I’m ready for the fight.”
Tahir will certainly need to be mentally strong as the vast majority of the 95 000 people expected to stream through the MCG turnstiles will be decked in the blue of Team India and will certainly cheer every single like it’s a boundary and bring the roof down when the ball does indeed cross the ropes.
It will therefore be a battle of the mind as much as one of skill on Sunday.
“I think I have a little bit more experience now and I know a little more about my game. Obviously I am still learning and working on my game, but it is a real privilege to play in this team because the guys are really special and will rally around me. If it was my first match I admit I would be a bit nervous, but having the support of all the guys around me I am sure I will be okay to handle the situation,” Tahir said.
INNATE ABILITY TO MANUFACTURE SOMETHING WITH HIS CONCOCTION OF GOOGLIES, LEG-SPINNERS AND TOP-SPINNERS