Daijiworld Media Network

Durban, Dec 26: Hello and welcome to the Boxing Day Test between South Africa and India from Durban. The big news coming ahead of the 2nd Test is the retirement of Jacques Kallis, a legend in every way. With over 13,000 runs, 199 catches and 292 wickets, he undoubtedly is the best all-rounder the modern game has ever seen. It will be an emotional moment for him, his teammates and his fans, not just in South Africa but around the world too.

We were treated with one of the best nerve-wracking encounters of modern times on Day 5 of the first Test, when AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis almost achieved the impossible. The flurry of wickets in the end saved India from the jaws of defeat and South Africa fell just 8 runs short of what would have been the highest successful run chase in the history of 4th innings of Test cricket.

We can only think of a handful of Test matches in the recent past that have matched the intensity and drama that unfolded in the first Test between South Africa and India. The 1st Ashes Test in 2009 at Cardiff when Anderson and Panesar battled it out like warriors in the final hour to prevent England from surrendering and the first Test between India and Australia in Mohali, 2010 when they snatched victory with just one wicket to spare are the ones that come to our mind. Even if the 2nd Test is half as exciting as the first one, we are in for a humdinger of a decider at Durban. The conditions here are the closest to the sub-continent conditions and the Indians would be itching to end the tour on a high after a disappointing 2-0 loss in the ODI series. Stay tuned for the pitch report, toss and team line ups.

India have won the toss and have opted to bat.

Teams:

South Africa (Playing XI): Alviro Petersen, Graeme Smith(c), Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers(w), Faf du Plessis, Jean-Paul Duminy, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami

Smith: 'Morne is fit. It's a miracle really but he's come through. Robin Peterson comes in for Tahir. It'e been an emotional few days. It's going to be different not to have Kallis around. We want to put up a good show for probably the greatest cricketer to come out of the country.'

Dhoni: 'We are looking to bat first. Slightly on the drier side. We have one change. Jadeja comes in for Ashwin. We have a lot of series outside India and we want to see who will fit best. Over the years, the faster wickets have slowed down. There will be some extra bounce.'

Pujara: 'We are looking forward to this game. We all are happy with the way we played the last game. Whenever you score a 100 overseas, it boosts your confidence. This is a crucial game for us and I hope I can perform. I just want to keep it simple. I was watching the ball till the last moment. I just want to follow the same things. The 'A' team tour did help. The weather was different. The wicket was different but you still learn a lot from it. It will be an exciting Test. We expect the same competition in this match as well. We are a confident unit now and hope to carry it forward.'

So just one change in each team. Interesting ones. Both teams have picked left-arm spinners. Shaun Pollock mentioned that the Durban pitch had aided spinners in some recent domestic games.

Pitch report: 'The pitch has not been watered too much because of the rain expeted. There is a good covering of grass but it is dry. There is not much moisture and the wicket itself is very hard. It will quicken as the match goes on. There are some cracks on the pitch. It could open up if the sun is out,' says Shaun Pollock

Preview by Gokul Gopal

'Scared' and 'Scarred' were the two terms often used in the build up to the two-Test series, referring to the dismal performance of the Indian batsmen in the ODIs. However, the visitors managed to turn things around in what was an epic first Test and came up with a terrific showing with both the bat and the ball to give the hosts a good run for their money. South Africa too were brilliant, especially on the final day, but ended 8 short of the target as the opening Test ended in one of the greatest draws the game has seen. With both teams having displayed steely resolve and a never-say-die attitude, the Boxing Day Test in Durban is expected to produce another nail-biting contest.

South Africa: While they did claw back into the game and almost pulled off a victory, the hosts do have some issues to address. As far as the opening position is concerned, Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen notching up half-centuries in respective innings and being involved in a century stand in the second essay augers well for the hosts. However, it is the South African middle order that has been slightly off-colour. Jacques Kallis has had a lean year and his poor run continued as he failed to make a mark in the first Test, although he was unlucky to be given out in the second innings. Hashim Amla and JP Duminy have also had a couple of failures, which will slightly worry the South African team. The superb double century stand between Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers, who hit fine hundreds, helped South Africa stage a terrific fightback. The hosts will be hoping that these two can produce something similar in the second Test as well.

Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel were superb in the first game with the former picking up 7 wickets en route to becoming the fastest South African to 100 wickets. Morkel was in his elements in both the innings and if not for an injury in the second innings, he could have made a huge difference. South Africa may not be too worried that their pace spearhead Dale Steyn picked up just one wicket in the game. But they will be eager for the quickie to do some damage in Durban and add some to his wickets column. Imran Tahir's lack-lustre showing at the Wanderers is something that will be on the minds of the South African skipper and the team management when they sit down to pick the eleven for the second Test.

India: While the critics hardly gave them a chance against the South African quicks, The Indian batsmen proved them wrong by coming up with a splendid batting performance in Johannesburg. In testing conditions and against the South African seamers who were spitting venom, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara showed tremendous grit and patience, the hallmark of top-class batsmen. Kohli, who was the star of the show in the first innings, narrowly missed out on becoming the first Indian number 4 to score hundreds in both the innings.

Cheteshwar Pujara was unfortunately run-out in the first essay, but he made up with a superb 153 in the second. Ajinkya Rahane, who scored a useful 47 in the first essay, also showed a lot of fight. While these are some of the performances that will boost the Indian team, they also have a few concerns with their batting. Shikhar Dhawan has not done much on this tour, Rohit Sharma has not played to his potential while Murali Vijay is also due for a big score.

The Indian bowlers were equally impressive with Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami all picking up wickets. Under the guidance of Zaheer, Ishant Sharma seemed a different bowler all together as he kept the South Africans hopping in the first innings, picking up a four-wicket haul. Zaheer made a strong comeback as he brought all his experience into play while youngster Shami with five wickets in the game, proved his worth yet again. R Ashwin might have gone wicket-less, but he kept posing questions to the Proteas batsmen and kept things tight. It was a good bowling performance by India throughout the match, except that they were not quite up to the mark on the final day, which made a lot of difference. Dhoni will be hoping that they continue their strong showing and make their presence felt in the key moments of the match, which is crucial for the Indian team as they seek their first series win in South Africa.

Numbers:

8: The number of wickets Jacques Kallis requires to become the fifth South African with 300 or more wickets in Test cricket. The all-rounder is also one catch away from becoming only the second cricketer after Rahul Dravid with 200 or more catches in Tests

80.77: Cheteshwar Pujara's batting average in Tests this year. He has the best average among the top 10 highest run-scorers in Tests in 2013.

Quotes:

From an emotional perspective, it's been an interesting few days. I feel we are mentally ready. Hopefully, it will be really good, high intensity and we'll be ready for Boxing Day: Graeme Smith.

It was a very exciting finish and you expect such close contests from Test cricket. There is no problem with our recovery and we are training a lot. So we are fit enough to prepare for the next game: Cheteshwar Pujara.