Do I owe an apology, friends? Probably. It was a real blunder from my part to suggest in the last post about a 5-day test match at VCA stadium, Nagpur. And at Jumta, it was three days and a bit. The tail could just delay the inevitable for a couple of hours. Who says that there aren’t any more rest days during test matches these days? It got shifted from the middle to the end, that’s all!

At last,Dhoni had the taste of a defeat in the test match arena, and let us hope that it was just the first of a few. To say that the number one spot in the ICC ranking is in jeopardy would be a gross understatement as much as the comment by the skipper himself after the post match ceremony- “we were outplayed”. It was not just a case of the visitors outplaying their counterpart. It was a meek surrender instead.

The gulf between the number one and two sides looked far greater than it actually was. The limp in the bowling is huge threat to the future course of Indian Cricket. Just being number one in the world is one thing and it is quite a different thing to belong there. It’s high time that the think-tank do something to reinforce the bench strength.

Just four of them together amassed over 550 runs in itself is the testimony of the lack of imagination and penetration of the Indian attack. That after they had lost both their openers for a mere half a dozen on the board. It was ceremony to begin with and how fast it turned to acrimony before the close of day one. The drooped shoulders remained so ever since.

Of course the batting failed, if not once, twice. That has a lot to do with the remarkable discipline shown by the South African bowlers. Each of them knew what was expected of him and was up there all the time. 350 runs for a batting side sans Dravid, Laxman and Yuvaraj against such an attack isn’t the worst by any means. If Indian batsmen failed twice in pursuit of that, they have only themselves to blame.

Kolkata, Oh! Kolkata! I wonder what is in store there for the all important second tie. A spinner friendly track and India fielding all its spinning strength? Might be a bit like the leg stump attack of Paul Harris. Quite an unethical cricketing move. Can’t blame the administration if that is what is in offer at Eden Gardens.