When Dravid and India did the 1-2-3 over South Africans

By John Cheeran
One. Two. Three. 1-2-3.
Yes, India's margin of victory could not have been better conceived than that.
Let this be the 1-2-3 into a great pilgrimage for Indian cricket.
When India did the 1-2-3 over South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, it, indeed, was a historic moment. Not because Sourav Ganguly came back into international cricket but for the first time India crushed South Africa in a Test on South African soil.
It is remarkable that Rahul Dravid, the man who fashioned India’s first Test triumph in Pakistan, has inspired his humiliated troop to reinvent themselves and produce a stunning performance, sustained over four days in an alien atmosphere.
Those who were – make no mistake, the Bengali and North Indian lobby -- baying for Dravid and coach Greg Chappell’s blood must flee the scene for the time being.
Dravid has pulled off what the highly over-rated Ganguly could not deliver in 2001. And this 1-2-3 over an arrogant bunch of South Africans had Dravid’s deft touches all over it right from the moment he chose to bat first in, what was intimidating conditions, after winning the toss.
To be honest, I was surprised when Dravid chose to bat. But of course being the 24x7 cricketer that he is, he knows best.
Dravid is the boss.
"Whether we bat or bowl first, or who plays in the XI, is going to be my call," Dravid said after India routed South Africa by 123 runs in Johannesburg on Monday. "I do discuss things in our team meetings and with some of my senior players but at the end of the day, it always starts and ends with me. I felt that batting first was the way to go on this pitch."
And now Dravid stands vindicated for having cautioned us on the eve of the match that Indian cricketers are too dangerous to be written off. None expected this incredible turn around in Indian fortunes.
"I don't blame the people for criticizing us," Dravid said after the refulgent moment. "South Africa were always going to be favourites heading into this Test, but I knew there was a lot of quality in this team. We showed that in the last few days. We had players who stood up and were counted."
Let me allow Dravid to hold forth on the victory.
"This victory is great because this is the first time we have done it in South Africa in four visits over the past 14 years. As a cricketer, your special moments are the ones that you share with the team; the celebrations, the joy you get from winning and just being a part of the group that has stood by you for three-and-a-half days and put in everything they've got to come out victorious."
"It's not that we haven't done this before. "We lost the one-day series in West Indies but came back to win the Test series. I think it was nice to get away in Potchefstroom and hang in together.
"The team was pretty hurt with the one-day defeat and we just got together and said whatever happens, we'll try and put in a better performance. We came here with a bit of confidence having won the warm up-game. I'm glad the boys displayed a lot of fighting spirit and character."
And unlike the snooty lordship from Calcutta, the gentleman that he is, Dravid did not ignore Ganguly’s life-saving efforts during the Test.
"The way Sourav Ganguly batted with the lower order to get us to 250 and his partnership with VRV Singh was crucial too. Sreesanth and Zaheer coming out and bowling out the opposition for 84. Laxman did a great job with the tail in the second innings and his stand with Zaheer. Sreesanth picking up three wickets in the second innings, including the important wicket of Kallis. These were the crucial moments that eventually helped us win."
"It's nice to have boys who have performed well in situations like this before," said Dravid.
"To be honest, this Test team has been the same for some time now, except for one or two players here and there. We had the same group in Pakistan, [against] England and West Indies."
It was interesting to listen to Dravid’s comments on a repentant Ganguly. "He's really playing well. There's no doubt about that. His performances in Potchefstroom and in this Test have been really good. It's great to see him batting well. He's a proven and experienced performer and when he bats well, it's going to make a big difference to the side. I hope he keeps continuing because we'll need good performances from people like him, Sachin, Laxman and myself to have the right results."
Dravid put the victory in perspective when he observed that: "Unfortunately, we tend to focus a lot on individuals in success and defeat. But at the end of the day, victories and defeats are not about the captain or the coaches or one or two individuals. It's always about the team. I've always believed that it's the performances that you put in as a team that helps you win matches."
"The team was pretty hurt with the one-day defeat and we just got together and said whatever happens, we'll try and put in a better performance. We came here with a bit of confidence having won the warm up-game. I'm glad the boys displayed a lot of fighting spirit and character.
"The senior guys in the side were pretty keen to remind me and everyone else, saying: 'Let's get this done. They are a very good side, we need to be professional and get the job done'. It's a good group of senior boys in the team and the support they've given me is fantastic. A lot of things I don't even need to say, it just comes from the group and they handle a lot of things themselves."
The most heartening thing is that Dravid has got his fundas right even at the hour of glory. Dravid has reminded everyone that South Africa will come back hard at India. “We have to soak up a lot of pressure and respond adequately."