India captain Virat Kohli poses for a picture with local net bowlers at the end of the team’s practice session on Sunday. (Source: Express photo)
A weak red and white polythene tape separates the Wanderers rugby team finishing its training session from the Indian cricket team trooping in at the nets dragging their kits bags. The ruggers are kicking penalties, the Indians have just finished their football kick-about and are commencing their first net session at the Wanderers.
In the temporary stands near the border that separate the athletes of varying skills, fitness and frames sits Koos Jenson. He has played rugby at the provincial level till, at 38, he broke a rib. While watching the Wanderers boys, he keeps an eye on the cricket too, where his twin teenage sons, both left-arm pacers, are net bowlers. Koos clarifies how the tall, thin frame of his boys was the reason they chose pace bowling over rugby.
The Jensons have driven for an hour and a half from Potchefstroom to avail the opportunity to bowl at the World No.1 Test team. It’s a big day for Duan and Marco, who play for the North West School team. However, by afternoon, their enthusiasm seems to be ebbing, as they still haven’t been called to bowl. The taller of the twins comes to the father. He makes a face. Jenson Sr tells him to soak in the experience.
The Indians, meanwhile, have a problem of plenty, especially in the pace department. There’s a crowd of pacers in India blues. The Jenson boys sit on the roller twiddling their thumbs. There is Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Hardik Pandya, and taking the count to eight are Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini. The last two are fresh off the boat and eager to fit in and impress. They have been called in to give the Indian batsmen quality practice at nets. They hit the nets running, and don’t seem to be holding back, as India’s Top 3 from the last game are at the nets.
Murali Vijay, KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara toggle between the three nets — pace, spin and throw-downs. Ravi Shastri takes the umpire’s position to watch the batsmen face the pacers closely. Once again, the locals are talking about the ball flying off the turf at the Wanderers. Once again, the batsmen might be in a Cape Town-like situation. Once again, they are trying to adjust to the bounce. Virat Kohli, on the question of his team’s poor overseas record, had spoken about things not coming together.
“When we came here last time, we batted well. This time around, we haven’t batted well as a unit. We bowled well, we didn’t bowl as well last time but this time we have bowled better. But what’s annoying is that it hasn’t come together at one time which obviously South Africa has done, and that’s how you win Test matches,” he says.
So the 2018 series will be remembered as the one where the batsmen threw it away. Now, it is for them to at least help the team avoid a whitewash.
After the longish break during which they escaped to the bushes to spot the Big Five, they are back at the nets preparing to face South Africa’s equally famous Big Four — Morkel, Philander, Rabada and Ngidi. The old demons — pace, bounce and movement — were once again pouncing at them.
They didn’t seem to have worked out some new approach to deal with India’s real arch rivals. Very often a shout of “watch out” would emerge from the nets as one of the batsmen would have stepped out, swung his bat and sent the ball soaring towards the rugby goalposts. Along with pads, bats and helmet; the Indians come to the crease wearing their ‘intent’ on their sleeves. The Jenson boys, meanwhile, had moved to the rugby ground. They were into ball retrieving now.
Meanwhile, the Top 3 would move out of the nets and the next batch would take its position. These are very important moments at nets these days. This is when Nos. 4, 5 and 6 take guard. It’s when a murmur emerges from the reporters’ corner; this is when they decide their take on the Rohit-or-Rahane debate. Who bats first at the nets is never an indicator of who will be picked for the playing XI, but it still gives some idea about that particular day’s pecking order in the team. So as of January 21, 2018, Rahane seemed to have been preferred over Rohit.
Rahane bats alongside Kohli and Pandya, the two batsmen who have been this series’ No.1 and No.2 batsmen for India. At the nets, Rahane doesn’t seem inferior to them in any way. Like the two others, he too shows attacking intent. While they bat, Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel wait for their turn. All three haven’t had the best of the series — 2018 South Africa so far hasn’t given them memories for a lifetime. Though one innings can change everything.
But will they get picked for the final Test? Wriddhiman Saha has been sent home, Dinesh Karthik is at the nets. Parthiv vs Karthik is a complicated debate. Who’s the better keeper and who can handle pace and bounce? This is a question with no real answers. Once Rahane has done his training routine, Rohit replaces him. He defends, drives and, finally, with his time about to get over, steps out and lofts the ball. Marco, still unbowled, drops the catch. He is embarrassed.
The smile is back on his face as a member of the Indian support staff asks what he bowls. “Left-arm pace,” he says. Kohli, after his fielding drill, is back at the nets. Like he has done all through the series, he wants to bat more. The Jenson brothers are called in. They mark their run-up as Kohli takes the crease; Karthik, too, bats at the same nets. They take turns to face Saini, Pandya and the Jensons. The sun is brutal; the reporters, the security and most of the support staff are busy finding shade. The twin pacers, who were restless some time back, seem to be tiring. Kohli continues to bat, they keep running in.
It finally gets over, Kohli moves away from the nets. Koos shouts to his boys to take a picture with Kohli. The teenagers are slightly reluctant. They want to talk about Saini’s pace and how Pandya makes the ball move by at least a metre. Eventually, they muster courage and approach Kohli. He asks the support staff to take a picture. The Jensons go home after an afternoon they will remember for the rest of their lives. As for the Indians, it was just another day on a very forgettable tour.