Will Dhonis magic save the Nagpur Test for India?
After the end of third days play in the First Test Match between India and South Africa played at Nagpur between 6th Feb 2010 to 10th Feb 2010, India were 66 for 2 in second innings having been bowled out for 233 in the first innings. With South Africa scoring a mammoth 558 for 6 declared against a mediocre bowling attack which is one of the weakest in the world, Indians were only a batting collapse away from a possible defeat and that is exactly what Indians are staring at.
However it is too early to write of India, going by Dhoni's near perfect track record as captain. Mahendra Singh Dhoni holds a unique record in Tests which in all probability should be a world record. M S Dhoni has lead India in 12 Tests winning 8 of them while the rest have been drawn which means he has a 0% record of losing. Dhoni is yet to lose a Test as captain which means the team is assured of a win or a draw whenever he is captain. In the recent past Indians have shown a tendency to come back strongly in the match while trying to wipe out huge first innings deficits and what has been most amazing is that in the last couple of years Indians have easily erased huge first innings deficits and that too in style by counter attacking the opposition bowlers. Another thing what is in India's favour is the fact that South Africans have shown a recent tendency to choke even when they had the opposition under their grip, the perfect example being the recent England South Africa series when South Africans failed to take the last English wicket on a couple of occasions with Graham Onins being the batsmen and England the beneficiary. A depleted English team capitalized capitalized heavily on that and turned on a possible 1-3 defeat to a highly creditable 1-1 drawn series.
If one were to go by Indias recent second innings history, Mahendra Singh Dhonis perfect captaincy record and South Africans inability to finish of matches, one should not be surpirsed if Indians mange to sneak a draw in Nagpur Test.
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