#IndvsSA: Team Kohli's win calls for a celebration
It's time for Virat Kohli and his boys to celebrate the Tests series win over giants South Africa. So dominant were the visitors in the T20 and ODI series, one thought it would be tough for the Indians in the longest format as well.
Call it a sharp turn of form and fortune or the brilliance of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra, the South African batsmen looked woefully incompetent against the turning ball.
What has been significant in this series win under Kohli's captaincy is that the Indians have been aggressive in all the three Test matches in Mohali, Bangalore and Nagpur.
This is a time to rejoice, as beating the world giants in Test cricket is a big feat. When one hears former greats talk on air about bad pitches and cricketer-turned-columnists rubbishing the track, it is meaningless.
When the Indian batsmen find the going tough against swing and seam abroad, we pounce on them for being incompetent against fast bowlers. Strangely, the same set of critics are not harsh on the South African batsmen for being unable to play the Indian spin attack.
Between Ashwin and Jadeja, they looked menacing each time they came on to bowl. Their performances have not been recognised by some "experts" and instead the pitch has been portrayed as the catalyst.
Snake pit, dust bowl, crumbling track and so on, these are some of the phrases used to describe the wickets the three Tests were played on, but the track by itself doesn't turn the ball. A bowler has to use his skills, which the Indians did pretty well.
Then again, there are some people who are shedding tears over matches finishing within three days as it's bad for broadcasters and sponsors. Laughable this, because when India prepared a runway-like strip for the final ODI in Mumbai and the South Africans hammered the Indian attack, only Ravi Shastri took the lead in criticising curator Sudhir Naik.
Batting on turning tracks is more an art than a science. Contests like these are quite rare in modern Test cricket, though the Indian batsmen have time and again themselves collapsed against spin bowlers.
Whether it was the 2004 Test in Mumbai against the Aussies where part-time spinner Michael Clarke wreaked havoc or more recently, the Indians getting bamboozled by Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon, it showed even our batsmen are poor in technique.
This is one area Kohli touched upon at length at his post-match conference in Jamtha. Without taking names, Kohli mentioned how criticism of the pitch was a bit overdone and at the same time, the Indians needed to work on their technique.
Barring Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, the other top Indian batsmen hardly got going in these Tests. Kohli himself scored low while Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma did not do well as the Indians were not even scoring 225 runs in an innings.
Even as Team India savours the win and gets a good break before the Delhi Test, they would do well to hear what Kohli has said. The complaint has been that we do not have quality spinners at home but the bigger truth is that Indian batsmen have to work on their technique. Going back to the basics and working with coaches alone will not work, as the Indian batsmen need to play more domestic cricket.
The top players are busy playing for the country or in the Indian Premier League. Rarely will you find them playing in the Ranji Trophy where spin bowlers and turning tracks will test them.
There is nothing to fear if reputed batsmen fail in first-class cricket. The emphasis should be on tackling the turning ball so that the next time Indians face bowlers like Imran Tahir and Simon Harmer, they will not look susceptible.
In years past, batsmen like Sunil Gavaskar, GR Vishwanath and Dilip Vengsarkar played pace and spin with the same ease. Gavaskar tackled the ferocious West Indies fast bowlers and classical Pakistani spinners with the same grace and made batting look like a beautiful art.
Judgment of the ball against fast bowlers and classic footwork against spinners, Gavaskar defined what grace was. At the same time, Vishwanath was full of poise and style as the duo gave some memorable performances.
If the Indian batsmen are serious about developing their skills, they need to see videos of these masters. The Indian cricket board should also fully use the services of new NCA (National Cricket Academy) chairman Vengsarkar so that Indian batsmen can learn the nuances of playing spin. Maybe then, we will get to see better contests when the South Africans come to India for their next Test series.