Waking up the morning after a great evening with his team at an Indian restaurant on the spectacular Cape Town waterfront, an hour before the brooding evening sky made way for the New Year, the last thing skipper Rahul Dravid probably wanted was a wake-up call from the match referee.Just after the team reached the Newlands Stadium for their only practice round before the series decider starting tomorrow, the friendly former Sri Lankan star Roshan Mahanama wanted to have a small chat with Dravid and his bowling spearhead Sreesanth.After drawing a match fee fine when he packed off South African batsman Hashim Amla with one hand over his mouth in the first Test, Sreesanth has switched to an Air-India style namaste now, with this new message: your time at the crease is over, thank you.But Mahanama is not laughing. Especially after Sreesanth hung around the crease, a frown on his face, after being given out by umpire Asad Rauf when the ball had clearly brushed his shoulder on way to the keeper.Another worry line for the Indian skipper, then. As if he didn’t have enough already — just switch on your TV and watch the buzz around the final XI building up to a crescendo.Apparently, the team is trying to strike a balance between two lines. One: retain the same XI, with a “fit again” Munaf Patel possibly edging out the unlucky VRV Singh. Two: take a few steps more, replace Virender Sehwag with Gautam Gambhir, and get Dinesh Kaarthick to keep wickets, giving a break to Mahendra Dhoni’s bruised finger.Some senior players are happy with the first option, eager to go into the crucial decider with the most experienced hands on their side. A section of the management, though, would like performance to be the sole yardstick, especially with Sehwag looking like he can’t last 10 balls.Not surprisingly, Dravid was unable to read out the final 12 this afternoon, leaving South African skipper Graeme Smith to sum up the situation like this.“Sehwag is a guy who can take the game away from you. If he gets a hundred, he gets it in quick time and can put you under pressure. He is a big cog in the Indian team, he has had a huge run of success over the years,” he said, adding “(But) he’s very low on confidence, we haven’t allowed him to get off to a start. We have made the first 10 balls count, haven’t allowed him to find any rhythm.”The Indian skipper did give one clue, though, on what’s really ticking within. “I wouldn’t be wary of making dramatic changes if it will strengthen the team. But we have to take into account the fact that this is the last game of the series, and it is a different sort of wicket from the last two,” he said.Different wicket? Bennet Hewe, the short, stocky groundsman, is more comfortable in his native Xhosa, but he immediately plonks his left foot across the crease and pushes his left hand forward. The English translation follows: “Lots of runs, match will go fifth day.” Maybe, Dravid can take some consolation from the fact the South Africans were equally confused this morning about their own XI. Even if they managed to sort some of it later by letting out word that the fiery Andre Nel will not play due to a bruise on the bottom of his left foot.Their 150-kmph man Dale Steyn is now being tipped to replace Nel, while Jacques Kallis, barely fit after that back spasm, is expected to play along with rookie left-arm spinner Paul Harris. With the shaky Amla slated to retain his spot, the odd man out in this game of musical chairs may be Andrew Hall, who bowled with a lot of guts, if not great pace, at Durban.Confused? All right, let’s step back now, cut through the fog. One thing’s crystal clear, isn’t it? If India’s batting fails, India fails. Simple. Why, even Ashwell Prince, the Durban century star, is now rubbing it in. “I try and be a little more tight, especially in the first hour or so. I play one ball at a time, and try not to get myself out to a loose shot.”Really, this series is no longer about South Africa. Over, as Prince said, even India’s bowlers. “Sreesanth has been bowling quite well. For the right-handers, with the ball swinging away, he’s been very dangerous. But he’s also got a few lefties out with the ball swinging in to get lbws. Zaheer Khan has also been getting the ball to swing. And I think Anil (Kumble) might play a bit more of a role in this game.”Obviously, it’s all about a world famous batting side that has not been able to put together even 250 runs so far. Sehwag, Jaffer, Laxman, Ganguly — it’s a shame.Let’s turn to the big two, now. After a long time, Dravid has slipped from the top five Test batsman on the ICC radar, thanks to a series average of 12.25. Can he forget those two bad decisions in Durban and show the way?Sachin Tendulkar has never returned from South Africa before without a Test century — was that fabulous 63 in Durban the big signal?Just three-four sessions of good batting, hopes Dravid. We agree. And pray.Live on Star Sports from 1.30 pm
