If Graeme Smith had been told prior to the Kanpur Test that his side would amass 510 in their first innings and the match would end in a high-scoring draw, one can safely assume he would have been very happy. It was almost a preconceived notion that the series result would be 2-0 in India's favour. With so much talk about spinning pitches and the inexperience of the South Africans, nobody gave the visitors a chance of even drawing a Test. But as things stand, the Proteas stood up to the challenge at Kanpur and managed a respectable draw.

The star of the show for the visitors was undoubtedly the Man of the Match Andrew Hall. The naturally aggressive batsman curbed his original style and carved out a disciplined Test century to help the Africans post a huge total on the board. Hall's epic effort frustrated India for five sessions, and the makeshift opener went on to pile 163 - the highest Test score by a South African in India. He got great support from debutant Zander de Bruyn who notched a fighting 83 in his first hit in Test cricket. After his efforts with the willow, Hall made a big impression with the ball too. The skiddy medium pacer got the important scalps of Sehwag and Sachin. The Indian spinners, of whom so much was expected, could not repeat their Mumbai heroics on a slow turner. Kumble was the only effective slow bowler with six wickets to his credit in the first innings while Harbhajan and Karthik struggled to make any impression. The pitch came in for some criticism from these spinners, who thought it was too batsman-oriented. It seems the 'pitch talk' is getting out of hand now. Too much is being said and written about the pitches by the Indian players ever since the Australian series got underway. It's time for the players to concentrate on their game and not indulge themselves too much in this 'pitching' issue. We cannot expect a track like Mumbai to be prepared everywhere for India to win!  

Coming back to the game, India's reply to the South African total was sensational to say the least. Under pressure after losing the toss and allowing the visitors to post a mammoth total, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were in a league of their own. Not many Indian batsmen have managed to match Sehwag when the 'Nawab of Najafgarh' is on fire. But Gambhir, his Delhi teammate, was on a roll, and even outscored Sehwag for some part of the innings, an achievement in itself. The two Test-old opener was unfortunate to miss his maiden Test century as his tendency to flirt outside the off-stump got the better of him in the nervous 90's. His innings was a positive sign for a team searching fir a regular opener. But one sincerely hopes he is not put through what Aakash Chopra had to undergo before being axed. Sehwag, the way he plays, won't be a very consistent opener. So it is all the more important for India to have some solidity at the other end. Gambhir has a few technical flaws, but those can be worked on as he plays more and more international cricket. It is important that he is given an adequate number of opportunities to prove his class.

Though Gambhir and Hall batted exceptionally well, the Kanpur Test undoubtedly belonged to Virender Sehwag. The explosive opener ripped the Protea attack to all parts of the ground and entertained the crowd no end. On a pitch where the latter batsmen struggled to score freely, Sehwag made batting look as easy as a stroll in the park. His breathtaking innings was cut short by an unlucky lbw decision off a ball that seemed to be heading down the leg side.

Post his dismissal, the run-rate slowed down tremendously, and any hopes that India entertained of victory were put to rest. Though it would have been difficult for India to press for a win despite Sehwag's blitzkrieg, their approach to the game after Sehwag's departure was disappointing. India could have accelerated once they realised they were not in a position to lose the game. Instead, Ganguly and Dravid were overcautious and did not make any effort to push up the scoring rate. True, fog played a big part in deciding the fate of the match, delaying play on the third and fourth days, but had the Indians been more proactive, they could have put the visitors under pressure on the final day.

Andrew Hall completes his century.

The Indians also missed a trick by not sending in Laxman at number three. After Gambhir's dismissal, it was important to have someone who could maintain the run-rate, and Dravid, on current form, wasn't the man for the occasion. Laxman, who has enjoyed success at number three, especially in sub-continental conditions where the ball doesn't move a lot, played a crucial knock in Mumbai at the same position despite not being in the greatest touch. Hence, there was no logical reason to demote him back to number six.

In the end, the match petered away to a dull draw with neither team willing to take the initiative. The South Africans piled up a huge total but it took them two days and a half a session to do so, way too slow from today's standards, where scoring at about 3.5 runs per over has become a norm in Test cricket. But despite their slow scoring rate, the South Africans can take a lot of heart from their performance. The result may have been a drawn Test but the Proteas would consider it as a moral victory.

For India, the ploy of playing three spinners didn't quite work out the way they would have liked it to. In hindsight, one may feel it was too much of a luxury, but then it would have been difficult to drop Murali Karthik after his match-winning effort at Mumbai, even if it was on a vicious turner. It would be interesting to see the Indian bowling combination at Kolkata. Karthik did trouble a few South African batsmen in the second innings. But will it be enough to secure a place in the next Test? The batting, on the other hand is improving gradually. But India need Tendulkar to fire at Kolkatta and also Dravid to regain his silken touch.

The Indians are the ones who have to do the running from here onwards. After all, the visitors were considered pushovers and the home team was expected to easily roll over them. But after the Kanpur Test, the Indians cannot make the mistake of underestimating the South Africans. It could prove to be fatal.