'The South Africans go clueless if you attack them'

Faisal Shariff

With the Indian team fighting a disciplined South African squadron on their soil, one man reminisces on a tour to the land where many a reputation has taken a beating.

There were many debutants in the Indian touring party to South Africa in 1993. Praveen Kalyan Amre was one of them.

The wristy right-hander has always shrouded his doggedness beneath a mild-mannered, soft-spoken style. Not as talented as his Bombay counterparts Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, Amre, however, made up for that with grit and determination.

He marked his Test debut in South Africa with a fighting century on a racy Kingsmead track, where all other Indian batsmen struggled to cope with pace.

But after being anointed as a Test batsman for India, he spent two years as a 12th man.

"With a first-class average of 86, critics were questioning my technique to play on bouncy tracks. And I was very keen to prove myself. Test cricket is the ultimate satisfaction for any cricketer," Amre said, reflecting on that phase he went through.

In the first Test of the tour, with 38 runs on the board and four top Indian wickets back in the pavilion, a nondescript figure under a helmet strode out to take guard at number six.

Six hours and 299 balls later, Praveen Amre rewrote the guidebook on grit and discipline in Indian sport. With a hundred partnership with wicketkeeper Kiran More, India overcame the South African total and got the first innings lead, when at one point it looked like they would be forced to follow-on.

"The situation got me to that hundred. I was very selective about my shots, with surviving every ball being the only game plan I walked in with. After a bit, I was confident about my batting and moving the scoreboard became the new game plan. I knew it was my job to hang around and wait for these guys to tire, for the bowling to lose its edge."

Once set, Amre started taking chances and playing the ball over debutant Jonty Rhodes's head. One of the seven debutants of that Test, he cemented his place in a team which boasted of players like Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Manjrekar, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev. Come to think of it, that innings is still a lesson -- for the team now touring South Africa under Sourav Ganguly.

Amre recalls a lighter moment of that knock.

"I walked back on day two with my score on 39 when a fan, Abu, met me and predicted that I will get a hundred the following day and that he would run onto the field with the national flag. True to his word when I got to the three-figure mark, Abu ran out with the flag in his hand and hugged me even before my partner more could. It was a very touching moment."

A pity though that Abu will not be around to cheer another glorious moment in South Africa since he died in a car accident last year, he quickly adds.

With a match-winning performance in the last one-day international against South Africa, Amre ended a most forgettable tour for the Indians with his head held high.

"It was a tough match for me. I was informed at noon about my inclusion in the day-night match and I walked in at a difficult time and played my role. Vijay Yadav, the wicketkeeper, and I decided to concentrate on the singles."

The duo were well aware of Jonty Rhodes's fielding skills and decided to place the ball to his left hand and run around it.

"It was truly challenging to take on Jonty with our running between the wickets. We played to a plan and dictated terms throughout. I guess the South Africans go clueless if you attack them and take them on."

But since then Amre's story, however, is a sad one. Despite proving his ability against one of the best international attacks, on some of the fastest pitches in the world, he found himself back on the bench and, after a while, out of the team.

Out in the cold, he, however, managed to grab an offer to play in the South African domestic circuit two seasons ago. Playing for the province of Boland, he learnt about professionalism in sport. In 12 matches Amre played for Boland, he scored four fifties and helped Boland win the domestic championship that season.

"The South Africans are very professional and serious about their domestic cricket and unlike our domestic structure their standard is very high."

The South Africans, he explained, play 45 over games with two white kookaburra balls, with one bouncer allowed per over; a rule that has been recently introduced in international cricket.

"They have endless stamina since they play a minimum of 110 overs per day; which means that they play a five-day game in four days. Their fitness levels are amazing and especially the bowlers. They will come at you even at the fag end of the day with the same pace."

Amre expresses surprise at the Test venues chosen for the series against India. Goodyear (Springbok) Park, Bloemfontein, the venue for the first Test is a batsmen’s paradise with lots of runs in it. Having scored a hundred on the wicket in a side game, he believes that India’s best chance to win lies there, on a track with true bounce and ample chance for stroke-making.

"The second Test at Port Elizabeth, with its proximity to the sea, is a good wicket, not very quick. But the batsmen need to be careful after the tea break, because of the breeze that assists the bowlers in the last session. 200 for 2 can easily become 220 for 7 at the end of the day," cautions Amre.

“Centurion Park, the venue for the third Test is the hardest of the three surfaces and has very good carry. It is a completely result-oriented wicket," he adds.

India's chance, he feels, really lies in the opening partnership. "A good start will help a lot, since it is very hard to set in. But once you have, then the ball comes to you.

"Another thing is for those batsmen who get set to play a big innings to continue and not be satisfied with merely a hundred, because these are the kind of wickets where you can go on and on.

"With Sourav Ganguly finding his form he too is under no pressure any more. He should bat more freely. It is important to be positive at all times. It is equally important to be patient and wait for them to get impatient and then score on that."

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