South Africa should focus more on their bowling attack and not on their shaky, vulnerable batting order to win them matches in the upcoming home series against India, believes Daryll Cullinan.
At same time, the former Proteas batting star said, the depth that India has makes Virat Kohli’s side the favourites going into the three-match Test series, which begins at Centurion, near Pretoria, on December 26.
“South Africa’s batting has been a concern for quite a while. I think that’s more the reason why they should back their bowlers to win them the series,” Cullinan, who represented South Africa in 70 Tests and 138 ODIs and used to bat mostly at No.4, told The Telegraph from Paarl.
“The danger they have is a long tail and they are very reliant on their top order. As for India, they’ve probably got the best depth at the moment in world cricket when it comes to their pace attack. So I think for both teams, where the wicket will support quicks, it will come down to their top six as to how well they bat.
“India then might have an advantage as they bat deep. Often in South Africa, if you’ve got useful players at Nos.7, 8 and 9, often those 50-60 runs coming from them make a difference in terms of the outcome of the series. And that’s where South Africa struggle, as they don’t really bat well at (Nos.) 8, 9, 10 and 11,” Cullinan, who made his Test debut in January 1993 during India’s ‘Friendship Tour’ of South Africa, explained.
It remains to be seen if South Africa prepare lively tracks to suit the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, because, Cullinan argued, that’s their most potent arsenal against India. “Too good batting wickets may favour India in the end as their spinners can come into play on Days IV and V.
“But then, when you’ve got a captain (Dean Elgar) who’s an opening batsman, there’s always going to be some hesitation to leave something in the wicket. However, if South Africa are honest and brave enough, that’s the way they should go.
“On good, lively wickets, I think the Indian batting line-up will struggle against South Africa’s extra pace and bounce,” the 54-year-old asserted.
Front-foot play
Agreeing that Rohit Sharma’s absence from the Test leg due to a hamstring injury is a massive blow to India, Cullinan has a piece of advice for the India batsmen.
“Yes, Rohit’s absence is a big blow, as on his day he can tilt the game very quickly in India’s favour,” Cullinan said.
“Now for the other batters to step up, the first thing they need to do is avoid playing from the crease, which a lot of subcontinent players tend to and get away with on their wickets.
“To talk of (Cheteshwar) Pujara, he might get into trouble again as he goes across his crease with the front leg and doesn’t quite commit forward. In South Africa, you’ve got to negate that bounce and when you need to get forward, just get forward. You can’t allow the ball that extra bit of carry and movement to find the outside edge.
“To tackle that in-between length (delivery), don’t sit back and play from the crease if you’re in doubt. If you’re unsure about whether you should go forward or back, rather get forward,” Cullinan, who scored an unbeaten 153 at Eden Gardens in Calcutta back in November 1996, emphasised.
