Hurtling ahead

At the end of a manic second day of the second India-South Africa Test match, a result is definitely on. Who will win is still in the balance.

The food in the pavilion must be really good or the wicket must stink a great deal. How else does one explain the haste with which batsman after batsman has left the crease? 18 wickets fell in the day and, in reality, the number should have been much less. In the first inning, India's last four wickets fell in no time at all. And South Africa scarcely batted long enough to register in the scorebooks.

Both teams did as much as possible to hand the initiative back to the other team. But having said that, India was buoyed by the return of Zaheer Khan. What a difference one man makes. After sussing out Graeme Smith, he got two more wickets because of luck but he created the luck with a display of swing bowling that rivaled anything Dale Steyn produced in the series, albeit at about 15kmph's slower.

Harbhajan Singh is your archetype bully. When things are going his way and no one is trying to boss him around, Bhajji is deadly. The SAffers made the mistake of trying to play him away. Chris Broad, the scourge of chuckers everywhere, is not the Match Referee here and Harbhajan went back to bowling the doosra. One such ball produced a moment that will live in my mind forever - the 200th catch of Rahul Dravid's career. The catch has far greater significance, in my opinion, than people are already ascribing it (more on that a little later).

When India batted, Virender Sehwag began in his inimitable fashion but fell to a flaw that has crept into his batting since the away series in New Zealand. The opposing captains have taken to putting a deep point and a short third man and asking the bowlers to bowl a full-length ball wide of the off-stump. Sooner or later, the current edition of Seh-whack reaches for the ball and scoops it to those fielders or edges it behind the stumps. Sure enough, that is how he got out and, suddenly, the floodgates opened. Murali Vijay fell soon after to a snorter from Morkel.

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar played shocking shots, trying to drive/push on the up, falling forward and edging the ball behind the wicket. I was particularly disappointed with the way Dravid got out. For the first time in a long time, I thought SRT did not look cool and composed. He was fidgety and I wasn't surprised when Steyn nailed him with the first ball of his spell.

Amidst it all, VVS Laxman stood firm. I will not say anything right now for fear of jinxing the fellow. He alone holds the key to how the rest of the Test match will unfold.

Rahul Dravid achieved two significant milestones in this Test - 12,000 runs and 200 catches. The joy with which he celebrated his 200th catch made me realize how much he wanted it. He has toiled for 15 years in the shadows of his more flashy compatriots. Contrary to media reports, Dravid HAS received his share of commendation for his efforts but definitely not the level that a couple of others have or that he deserves. But that 200th catch is his and his alone. Finally, just finally, Dravid has a piece of cricket history that cannot be compared to another player. This was a goal he has been eying for a while now and I believe reaching it will have repercussions for the rest of his career.

This is what I think is going to happen - now that he has checked off two important milestones, if India tie or defeat South Africa in South Africa, Rahul Dravid will hang up his boots. Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara are waiting in the wings to fight for the #3 spot and the way he has struggled to score runs of late tells me that his reflexes are slowing down just a touch. So, watch him carefully over the rest of the series - it may just be the last time we see him in an Indian test squad.

(Ironically, a similar thing is happening with Ricky Ponting in Australia. He seems just a split second slow to react to the ball and I will not be surprised if his days are numbered, too).