Battle of the two Challengers

After the high profile India-Australia test series, this series between the Potreas and India has not created much buzz as one would have expected but make no mistake, it has got all the ingredients to match if not better the series that India played last, down under, be it quality wise or personality clashes wise. For starters a win in this series will catapult the winning team as the real challenger to the Australian dominance, and maybe herald a new era in cricket.

Both teams are coming back of impressive performances, with India winning a test series against England in England, then beating Pakistan Comprehensively in India and holding their own against Australia though losing by a 2-1 margin which could have easily ended up in their favor had they have some luck. While South Africa have completely demolished Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh till date, and should be more than eager to take this series proving that they are the rightful contenders to challenge Australia.

India for it's part looks solid with the fab 4 and sehwag making up the batting order, while you have the ever reliable Kumble leading the bowling front which should have Rp and Sreesanth making up the fast bowlers and the other spinners place going to Bajji, for whom I think it's his last chance to resurrect his test career. This series also presents Dhoni and Jaffer a good chance to redeem themselves with the bat after a rather forgetful tour down under. With the test being played in Chepauk, you can bet your last penny that Sachin will play a special knock as he has been doing every time he plays in this stadium. Who can forget his twin hundreds against the Aussies which set up memorable wins or the brilliant century against Pakistan, though coming in a lost cause. If it's chennai then heat and humidity will play a major role thereby making a fast bowlers life a living hell. Kumble would have to use RP and Sreesanth in short bursts and we might even see Ganguly turning his arm over for a few overs.

As was the case in the series against Pakistan, Kallis form will go a long way in hiding the deficiencies of other batsmen present in the SA team. Graeme Smith for all his records has never been the same kind of batsmen that he is against the minnows will facing up to a quality bowling attack so this series will provide him another opportunity to correct that, which I doubt he will do. Rest of the batsmen just make up the numbers and the onus in on them to make it count. The real strength of this South African team has been it's bowling attack and that's mainly because of the form that Dale Steyn has been of late. This is the first time that he is facing up against a quality batting order and how he performs might as well be the deciding factor in this series. Morkel though a bit raw, can on his day be as devastating as Steyn, Ntini has never been a good bet on the sub-continental wickets. Paul harris is another one whom everyone expects to trouble the Indian batsmen, with their history of becoming undone while facing a left arm spinner, which I think is an anomaly waiting to be corrected.

All said and done, I have a feeling that South Africans will miss the services of Shaun Pollock who has a great record against India and also someone who can tie up one end. Chris Gayle showed that Dale Steyn when attacked is not the same bowler he is when on song and this is where having Sehwag in the team helps immensely. Going by the media reports, Sachin seems geared up for the contest, with practicing for a little bit extra and that's never a good sign for the opposition. I would pick the Indians to win this game in Chepauk, if not the match will end up as a draw.