Makhaya Ntini is never short of words. He speaks as fast as he used to bowl. But on Friday, he had only a few saintly words of wisdom for the Indian bowlers, who have got heavy pummelling from the South African batsmen in the first Test.
Makhaya Ntini is never short of words. He speaks as fast as he used to bowl. But on Friday, he had only a few saintly words of wisdom for the Indian bowlers, who have got heavy pummelling from the South African batsmen in the first Test.
“Just relax and stick to your basics,” the veteran of 101 Tests advises the beleaguered Indian bowlers. India managed only four South African wickets in the first Test and skipper MS Dhoni admitted it was an area of concern.
The South African, who recently retired from international cricket, is of the view that the Indian bowlers’ failure at Centurion was due to the hosts’ familiarity with the conditions than with the visitors’ deficiency in the attack.
“It is unfair to blame the bowlers for the defeat. They were not doing anything wrong in the first Test. The South African batsmen were in the familiar zone. They are used to these conditions and they exploited their knowledge of the conditions very well. It’s much easy for our batsmen to bat on.”
Last time India played a Test match in Durban (in December 2006), Ntini was the star performer, bowling South Africa to a series-levelling win with a match-haul of eight wickets.
Ntini feels there was undue pressure on S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh. “You had a kid making his debut. Without Zaheer Khan, there was pressure on Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh. I’m confident they will do well in Durban.”
Nitini is impressed with the bowling of Jaidev Unadkat, who went wicketless in his debut Test at Centurion.
“That lad has got a very good potential and bundles of talent. He can be a good bowler for India. For the time being, don’t put pressure on him. He must get enough support from his teammates. He could be a very good bowler with some guidance. He is your future,” Ntini remarks.
Ntini, who had taken 43 wickets in 10 Tests in Durban, expects the Kingsmead wicket to be just like the one at Centurion. They must make sure that they bowl in the right areas. It is nothing different. The line they bowled in India should be same here too.
“First day at Kingsmead will be same as it was at Centurion. The wicket should be lovely and lively with a lot of bounce. It surely will not be like India where the ball does not carry to the wicket-keeper. Indian bowlers should stick to their basics and see what they can achieve. They should relax.”
Ntini thinks India’s first Test defeat was as much for the batsmen’s failure as for the bowlers’ inability to penetrate. “Forget the bowlers. The batsmen have to score runs first. They have to bat the way they did in the second innings at Centurion. They assessed the conditions much better in the second innings. They can do exactly that in the second Test. If they bat that way, Sachin Tendulkar can get his 51st century. If he does the same, things will be different,” he points out.
As for South African bowling, Ntini is of the view that Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are looking as good as he and Shaun Pollock were. “They try to penetrate. They look better in tandem. They are trying to establish the combination I had with Shaun Pollock,” Ntini observes.
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