India eye moment of inspiration against South Africa

South Africa have already made it clear that they will not yield an inch even though they already have the series wrapped up. The Proteas are clearly aiming for a 3-0 whitewash. 

PRETORIA: It's been more than 10 years sinceSachin Tendulkar played a magical knock of 98 against Pakistan in Centurion. India were in a tight corner till then in the 2003 World Cup and that knock had helped the Men in Blue to turn the corner and they went on to make the final. 

India are in a somewhat similar position now, reeling under South Africa's pace onslaught. After suffering two humiliating defeats, they have their back to the wall and desperately need someone to come up with an inspirational effort in the third and final ODI to boost the morale of the side before the two Test matches. 

There is neither a dearth of talent in the Indian line-up, nor there is a paucity of match-winners but given the current predicament of MS Dhoni's young brigade, it is hard to see anyone rising to the occasion like Sachin had done against Pakistan. No one has an idea what kind of a pitch will be on offer as the ground remained under cover all day. With rains lashing Pretoria on Tuesday, players were forced to practice at the indoor facility. 

The forecast is that it might clear up on Wednesday, but the umpires may still find it difficult to pack in a full 50-overs game. "Centurion has excellent drainage and it's a day-nighter...So let's keep our fingers crossed," a local old-timer said. 

South Africa have already made it clear that they will not yield an inch even though they already have the series wrapped up. The Proteas are clearly aiming for a 3-0 whitewash. 

"India are the No. 1 ODI side in the world and look where we are probably No. 5. A whitewash of the top side would be great for our cricket," South African captain AB de Villiers had said after winning the Durban contest with ease. 

But again, It is not just about the whitewash. The South Africans are keen to hold a psychological edge over the Indians before they get into the Test series. 

The unveiling of the trophy for the two-Test series took place in Pietermaritzburg on Monday and South Africa's new coach Russell Domingo spelled out his team's agenda. 

"Indian players always had an issue against the pace and bounce in South Africa...Right at the beginning of the series, our plan was to put doubts in their minds ahead of the Tests. We have been able to do that and it's going to continue," Domingo said. 

The Indians are trying desperately to negate this theory, but there is no denying the fact that the Men in Blue look somewhat shell-shocked after suffering rare consecutive ODI losses - each by a big margin. 

The longer this unease persists in the Indian camp, the higher will the chances of suffering a similar debacle in the Test series. Rohit Sharma, India's ODI opener who is being tipped to replace Tendulkar at No. 4 in Test matches, didn't tire of emphasizing the importance of Tuesday's dead rubber. 

"Yes, the message has to go through to the South Africans that we are ready for a fight...The series might be lost but we are treating this game with utmost seriousness," Rohit said
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