An immense sense of relief rather than ecstasy would best describe the feeling in the Indian camp after winning the second Test against South Africa at Kolkata. It was only the second Test won at home this season, but it gave Sourav Ganguly's men a one-nil series victory over the South Africans, their first series win on home soil since the West Indies were here in 2002. A dubious pitch at the Wankhede spun enough controversy into India's solitary Test victory against the Australians. BCCI's Platinum Jubilee one-day match added insult to injury as Pakistan held their nerve to trounce India. Tim Castle's decision to overturn the two Test ban on Sourav Ganguly after match referee Clive Lloyd found him guilty of a slow overrate left the Indian skipper with more than a point to prove. And this series victory could not have come at a better time for him.

The Indians finally got their act together after battling indifferent batting form for the better part of the season. A lot was expected from them after their stupendous performance against the Australians down under and a protracted tour to Pakistan that gave the visitors the elusive but much coveted crown. But the Indians found the top of the hill too slippery to stand on. Add to that, the Australians left them practically breathless and hapless on their own turf to secure the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. A exceptional win in Mumbai on a pitch with more than its share of vicious spin left a bitter aftertaste for the world champions. But that win at Mumbai did not stop the South Africans from fancying their chances against an Indian squad low on confidence.

South Africa should be commended though not too effusively. They held fort for eight and three-fourths days until they were found short of the challenge on the Indian sub-continent. The South Africans came at the Indians in stark contrast to the aggressive in-your-face approach of the Australians preceding them. Graeme Smith teamed up with new coach, Ray Jennings, and the focus rested on the theme 'love and care'. The fact that key emotions such as these had to be externally instilled in the team reveals the extent to which the cohesiveness of the team had disintegrated. The task got harder as Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje found their past misgivings in liaison with the late Hansie Cronje insurmountable. Mark Boucher's listless form meant that glove duty was passed down to Thami Tsolekile. With their prolific opener and pivotal spinner cooling their heels back home, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis found themselves leading the young pack of hopefuls. The big blow to South Africa was a side strain that prevented Jacques Kallis from participating with an active role with the ball.

Andrew Hall scored an outstanding 164 in the first Test at Kanpur that inspired his teammates. Zander de Bruyn made his mark with a solid debut - eighty-three runs and key wickets. Hashim Amla did not do too badly himself. Jacques Rudolph's gritty sixty-one at Kolkata is to be applauded as well, for he is surely one of the future mainstays for South Africa. But South Africa's undoing came with the lack of a genuine quality spinner, so vital when touring the sub-continent. The watchful approach of the South African batting and the fail-proof approach of the Indian batting meant no other result other than a draw was rational. The placid pitch at Kanpur did not help matters either as Virender Sehwag helped himself to his eighth Test century, aspiring for statistical brilliance in Bradmanesque style.
 

India dropped their triple-spin strategy for a more balanced attack with Irfan Pathan. South Africa's cautious batting at Kolkata meant that apart from Jacques Kallis' century, 305 was far from a desirable first-innings total. If the fast bowlers shared the exploits in the first innings, it was the spinners who walked away with the glory at the end of the Test. Once again Sehwag proved to be a thorn in the flesh with a scintillating knock of eighty-eight. Rahul Dravid crawled his way to a vigilant eighty, throwing open the debate if India were not going the South African way towards a respectable draw. India's newest wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik and bowling all-rounder Irfan Pathan frustrated the South Africans. But unfazed by a 106-run lead, Graeme Smith blazed his way to a splendid seventy-one. But then, the spinners struck. While Anil Kumble exposed the rough outside the stumps, it was Harbhajan Singh who spun his magic reminiscent of his exploits against the Australians on their previous tour.

Harbhajan - He bagged his fifteenth five-wicket haul in the second innings.

After almost nine days of holding out, South Africa had to face the one situation that they had successfully avoided thus far. Spinners were always going to pose the ultimate threat for visiting teams. South Africa will rue the fact that they did not take a more assertive approach in setting up a commanding first-innings total with not enough experienced support for Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini. Perhaps a more established spinner in the side would have tested the Indians on the way to a modest target of 117.