After buying Yuvraj Singh for a whopping Rs16 crore and also bringing Zaheer Khan itno the fold of Delhi Daredevils, Gary Kirsten looked fresh as a daisy despite his long flight from Bangalore to Melbourne to be here in time to oversee South Africa’s practice session for the Sunday match against India. Needless to say then, the former Team India coach was the focus of all Indian eyes as he gave his invaluable tips to South African batters at the Junction Oval grounds here on Wednesday.
Kirsten, who as India coach had become a darling of the media, always smiling, always ready to talk, would be giving a lot of insights to his home team which meets India in its second Group stage match at the MCG on Sunday. Aiding and abetting him in his efforts is Australian Mike Hussey who was in full play at the Junction Oval, discussing with Kirsten, perhaps the ways and means to bring about India’s downfall on Sunday.
Both Hussey, who has since declared that India is unlikely to reach the semifinals, and Kirsten who knows Team India too well for comfort, had a long chat with South Africa skipper AB De Villiers as the rest of the boys got into a serious football game. Kirsten did not seem overly bothered about the health of SA’s lead weapon, pacer Dale Steyn, who was absent and learnt to be down with flu. Even Quinton de Kock’s knee injury which he picked up temporarily did not have too much of an impact on the coach.
After the fun football game between the players who had turned up for optional training under a clouded sky and some breezy atmosphere, Kirsten gave all his time and attention to the athletic David Millers, giving him throw downs throughout the half hour session he took with him.
Millers, one of the mainstays of the SA team and the man who finally got together with JP Duminy to save the blushes for his team against Zimbabwe, batted with a stump as Kirsten threw the ball at him hard and fast. After a five minute stint with the stump, middling the ball every single time, he took his bat and practised hard as Kirsten threw him some short ones. He cleared the boundaries with his powerful strokes many times as spectators cringed at the full-throated sound of the ball hitting the middle of the bat.
India, who practised at the same ground, in the afternoon session, would have to really work hard on its bowlers to contain the South Africans who at nets looked fierce with Hashim Amla, Quinton De Kock, AB De Villiers, Faf Du Palassis and David Miller batting in a line. As we all know, South Africa’s record against India is almost like India’s record against Pakistan — India have never won a game against South Africa in the World Cups in the three times they have met each other, and the 2011 was no exception with India’s only loss in the entire Cup campaign was against South Africa.
While the proteas would be looking to enhance the 3-0 to 4-0 this Sunday would have spurred the likes of Ashwin to take up the bat himself. Not just Kirsten and Hussey but also the consultant bowling coach Allan Donald has been doing his bit to rev up the pacers. As Kirsten got busy with Miller, Hussey had a long chat with Duminy. Hussey would be playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming season of IPl and is contracted to be with SA till after the India match.
As the batters swung their bats at nets, Morne Morkel kept bowling down the stumps with short run-up on the other side of the ground. Wayne Parnell bowled fuller while Morkel practised Yorkers. He was down with a sore throat and chest congestion in South Africa’s warm-up game against Sri lanka and could quite rise to the occasion against Zimbabwe bowling insipidly to come to a 1/64 figure in nine overs.