South Africa's decision to let India bat first was bad: Clive Rice

India have found a big fan in Clive Rice. The former South Africa captain, who had told this paper that South Africa won the first Test only because Graeme Smith called rightly at the toss, said the home team’s strategy of putting India in once again at Durban was wrong.

“I told you so," Rice said. "South Africa are in trouble, big time. Their decision to put the opposition in was bad. International captains bat first.”

Rice said India now have the confidence to win the third and final Test in Cape Town, where Harbhajan Singh could be a big factor.

“India have got the confidence," Rice, one of the all-time great all-rounders in the game, said. "Harbhajan is the best spinner in the contest by a long way. He is going to be a major factor down there. With other Indian bowlers also bowling very well, Dale Steyn is going to be the bowler to watch out for. If India see Steyn off, South Africa may be found wanting.”

Rice believes India outbowled South Africa in Durban. “Morne Morkel was too short and the ball was beating the bat by a long way," he said. "He should have bowled further up, which the Indian bowlers did. As a result, they picked up those edges.”

Rice also thinks the South African team management made a blunder by preparing a three-day wicket for the Test.

“What were they trying to do by leaving so much grass on the Kingsmead wicket?" he wondered. "They won the first Test. The strategy should have ideally been to dish out a batting wicket.

Rice pointed out that it was at Kingsmead in Durban that Gary Kirsten, former South Africa opener and now India's coach, had got a big double hundred. "Once you are one-nil up in the series, you want to create a situation where you should have a batting pitch hoping that it would last five days," he said.

"What they created in Durban was a three-day wicket. It was like in the 1980s when we used to finish the game in three days. A total of 220 cannot be a good score.”