India's 'A' tour: Ideal preparation or just a red herring?

Shikhar Dhawan scored 248 during a clash against South Africa A.

MUMBAI: When the BCCI announced that the India A team would be touring South Africa for a tri-series involving the A sides of the hosts and Australia, there was plenty of cheer in the Indian cricket community. The board was also praised for its initiative to send a team with a mix of India regulars and fringe players three months prior to the senior team's tour to SA as it would help players acclimatise to conditions.

However, if one takes a look at the scores in the tri-series played at the De Villiers Oval in Pretoria, one could be excused for thinking that the games were being played in the subcontinent. The lowest score batting first has been 295 by the hosts. India A have had it good too. Their lowest score has been 285, during the 25-run loss to Australia A. A flat pitch with true bounce and short boundaries has resulted in seven hundreds being scored, with Shikhar Dhawan's record-breaking 248 against South Africa A on Monday being the highest.

On the eve of India A's summit clash against Australia A, coach Lalchand Rajput sounded excited about the challenge ahead, but expressed surprise at how flat the wickets have been. When asked if the performances here could be a red herring for the senior team ahead of their tour in December, Rajput said,

"We expected a lot of bounce and seam movement. What we have got here though is a complete paata (belter). It's been a surprise. But conditions are not in our control."

The former Test opener was hopeful that the wickets in the four-day game would be more seam friendly. "We will be playing in Rustenburg next and come back to Pretoria for the second 'test'. I hope the wickets will challenge our batsmen a bit as we know the wickets for the Test series in December will be totally different."

Rajput was all praise for man of the moment Dhawan. "I have seen some great knocks in my tenure as coach. Yuvraj's six sixes in Durban in the T20 World Cup was one of them. However, Dhawan's innings was something else. Given that the track is flat and the boundaries were short on one side of the ground, the kind of strokes he played were extraordinary. Not once did he play across the line or play unorthodox strokes. He got out in the 43rd over, else he was on course to get a triple hundred. That would have been something."

Analysing India A's chances in the final against Australia A, who have beaten the Indians twice in the tournament, Rajput said both defeats were close affairs. "In the first game, we were in complete control before losing our way. In the second match too we collapsed when we were on track. We will be fielding our best XI tomorrow," he stressed.

Rajput defended the bowlers, who have all gone for runs. "All the bowlers have gone for runs but if you see the scores closely, the scores in the first 10 overs of the game are low. The ball seams around a lot in that period. Later on, as the sun comes out and it gets warmer, batsmen make merry. But I'm happy with the way Ishwar Pandey has bowled. He won us the game yesterday and bowled yorkers at will.
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