Centurion Test, Day 1, Tea
Friday, November 23, 2001

South Africa have maintained their friendship towards India by presenting them with one of the easiest of pitches I have seen at Centurion Park. I remember the Centurion pitch on the 1993 tour when we were up against a track that had both pace and bounce, but this one is in complete contrast to that. Unfortunately, the Indians haven't taken advantage of it.

I find it disturbing to see Shiv Sunder Das failing to capitalise on the start he gets. I remember seeing him for the first time in the international arena and getting excited about him as a good prospect who could be reliable at the highest level for India. But his inconsistency has been worrying. And when he gets going, he is unable to convert it into a big knock. He missed out on another opportunity today, trying to cover-drive without getting to the pitch of the ball. His progress has been a bit scratchy and it's something I am concerned about.

Sachin Tendulkar looked all set for another big one because he is the kind of batsman who invariably rises to a challenge. The controversy, in which he found himself centre stage, gave him the perfect opportunity, but he was a bit unfortunate - trying to nibble at one going down the legside.

VVS Laxman continues to be an enigma. For a man of his ability, he has been very inconsistent for India. The ultimate yardstick to judge the class and calibre of a player is consistency and that's where Laxman is a disappointment. Deep Dasgupta showed a steady mind yet again and was impressive with the bat.

Makhaya Ntini and Nantie Hayward have been disappointing. South Africa fast bowlers like Allan Donald, Brian McMillan, Lance Klusener when he was young and Shaun Pollock, all have this fantastic release of the ball, which ensures that the seam remains upright till the time it hits the soil. But that has been a rarity with Ntini and Hayward, and is the reason they have not been as successful as some of the names I mentioned.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to H Natarajan.

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