- Both India and South Africa chose different approaches to their training at the Junction Oval ahead of their Pool B fixture
- India coach Duncan Fletcher addressed the team, unmindful of the reports back home suggesting the team's support staff held a meeting in his absence
South Africa's support staff includes former India coach Gary Kirsten, who joined up with the side just ahead of the game against India. (Pic: G Rajaraman) © Cricbuzz
Their intensity levels were similar but the teams chose different approaches to their training at the historic Junction Oval here on Wednesday ahead of their ICC Cricket World Cup Group B meeting on Sunday. The contrast was as striking as the modern highrises which tower over some colonial buildings in the south-eastern suburb of St Kilda.
Starting an hour after the South Africans left for their hotel, India employed their key bowlers to bowl at their specialist batsmen on the pitch. Their opponents had used the central track only to their pace bowlers, especially Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell, practice on hitting the right length with cones as markers while batsmen like played mostly against nets bowlers.
India picked sets of bowlers fast bowlers first and spinners next to test batsmen in pairs as everyone, barring Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar got to take guard on the pitch. The three seam bowlers got to play against the net bowlers on the practice pitches and few could have complained about the teams ability to crank up the intensity.
Earlier, It was interesting to watch Morkel and Parnell trying to hit cones placed at spots back of a length and yorker length that they would like to bowl to the Indian batsmen. Bowling off their normal run-up, they bowled full tilt with assistant coach Adrian Birell standing back to collect the cricket ball with a baseball glove.
On a day when Dale Steyn was conspicuous by his absence and legspinner Imran Tahir led the spin bowlers complement in one net, Morkel clocked a longer duration, bowling yorkers with the older ball. It was suggestive that the gangling fast bowler, now looking leaner and meaner, would attempt pacy yorker-length deliveries to cramp the Indian batsmen on Sunday.
The contrasts between the two teams did not end there.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin were all part of an Indian team that won the World Cup in 2011 and will expectedly know what it takes to perform at the big stage while AB de Villiers's team, easily one the most attacking combinations in this edition, does not have anyone who has got past a World Cup semi-final.
South Africa's support staff included legends like Gary Kirsten, who played three World Cup tournaments and was coach of the Indian team that won in 2011, Allan Donald, with World Cup semi-final appearances in 1992 and 1999 and a World Cup winner Michael 'Mr Cricket' Hussey helping coach Russell Domingo. Kirsten and Hussey flew from Bangalore.
Though assistant coach Sanjay Bangar was a part of the Indian squad which made it to the final in 2003, only team director Ravi Shastri has any experience of playing in a World Cup. He featured in three editions, winning in 1983 and making it to the semi-finals in 1987 but bowing out early in 1992.
The other difference that was palpable on Wednesday had to do with fans. There were hardly any spectators to watch the South Africans train in the morning but word spread in the neighbourhood and a lot of Indian supporters turned up to see them practice, even if from an unhealthy distance outside the pretty ground.
And yes, as always, India coach Duncan Fletcher addressed the team as it huddled at the start of their session. It did not seem to matter to the team that there has been reports in some sections of the media back home that the support staff had held a meeting in his absence. The Indian team's focus on preparing for their second big game in eight days was noticeably sharp.
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