Indians will have to get their act together

The pitch at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein was the focus of attention before the first Test match between India and South Africa. The South African coach Graham Ford was not too pleased after taking a look at it; he assumed that the pitch would favour the visitors. It was more or less devoid of any grass and had some cracks, which could have raised a few eyebrows in the Proteas camp.

Shaun Pollock made no mistake after winning the toss; he put India to bat first, invariably trying to get maximum out of the little moisture trapped in the pitch. South African pace attack proved to be more than useful, even without Allan Donald. They had India reeling at 68/4 on the first day; it wasn't a pretty sight, the Indian top-order surrendering without a fight.

I think the Indian team management got it wrong by not playing Connor Williams. The selectors picked him as a specialist opener and there is no reason to hold him back. At some point or the other he has to be played and remember, Williams has scored a lot of runs in the domestic circuit.

Rahul Dravid volunteering to open the batting meant that Virender Sehwag could be accommodated in the side. Dravid failed as an opener, not once but twice in the first Test. He is a very important player in the Indian team and I think that Dravid should play at number three.

Having got selected ahead of Williams, Sehwag had to play at his very best to justify his inclusion. Along with the little maestro Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag grew in confidence and played one of the best debut Test innings played by an Indian. It was quite remarkable to see the fighting quality in this young lad. He complimented Sachin Tendulkar very well and forged a partnership, which is something I will cherish for a long time to come.

Sehwag's knock was a treat to watch, his composure was impeccable and his poise was of the highest order. I am particularly impressed by his back-foot play and the shots that he played through the off-side. His timing and the way he left the short-pitched deliveries go, were clearly the signs of a class player. Even though this was not the best South African attack by a long way, Sehwag's technique and competence gave me the impression that Tendulkar was batting on both ends.

Tendulkar's innings had character and it seems the maestro can only get better. He unleashed an amazing repertoire of strokes to push Pollock and Co. to despair. The manner in which he played those shortpitched deliveries to third-man was sheer joy to watch. Only a player of true genius could play such strokes; no wonder then that Tendulkar reminded Sir Don Bradman of his early days.

After having done reasonably well with the bat, thanks to Tendulkar and Sehwag, Indian bowlers threw away the opportunity by allowing the South African openers to score runs freely. The Indian attack was bereft of any planning and they bowled on both sides of the wicket, much to the liking of Gibbs and Kirsten. With that any hopes of a first innings lead or even putting pressure on the home side was lost.

Anil Kumble's bowling has been a bit of a mystery. He has not been consistent with the length. It is beyond my comprehension how Kumble could keep bowling short, given the fact that he is a tall man. It just epitomised the purposeless Indian bowling.

India allowed South Africa to put up an imposing first innings lead after watching Klusener bulldoze a quick-fire century. In my view India lost the Test on the first day itself. India scored rapidly to make 372 runs on the first day, entertaining for the spectator but a disaster for the team. South Africa was given enough time to plan and execute their strategy. There was no pressure on them and they won the Test at a canter.

India's batting in the second essay was pathetic. None of the batsmen, except Ganguly was dismissed by a good ball. There is a lot of work to be done before the second Test match to deny the South Africans a whitewash. The manner in which Laxman and Das got out was disappointing, someone need to tell them that they can't take their place in the team for granted.

Harbhajan Singh was sorely missed in Bloemfontein; he is a match winner and will be available for the second Test. The big question is as always the much famed Indian batting, which is getting a bit crowded in the middle.