India have their backs against the wall in Sunday's second and final Test against South Africa at Kolkata after failing to win a series at home for two years.
India last won a Test series on home soil when they beat West Indies in 2002. Since then they have been surprisingly held to a drawn series by New Zealand and lost 2-1 by Australia.
| |||||||||||
India will be looking to Anil Kumble, who could leave the 120,000-capacity Eden Gardens as the country's highest Test wicket-taker, to buck the trend with an inspired performance.
The 34-year-old leg-spinner is four scalps short of Kapil Dev's Indian record 434 going into his 90th Test.
Inexperienced South Africa, which came to India as clear underdogs, played fearlessly in Kanpur to amass 510 for nine and take a first-innings lead.
But they were slammed by experts for being too defensive.
"If people think we played negative cricket, that's up to them. We did well in the Kanpur Test and we want to aim for a win in Kolkata," captain Graeme Smith said.
Defensive or not, the Kanpur draw has given the Proteas a mental edge against an Indian side struggling for batting form.
BAN OVERTURNED
But the hosts got a boost on Friday when captain Sourav Ganguly's appeal against a two-Test ban was upheld by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Ganguly, banned by match referee Clive Lloyd because of his team's slow over rate in a one-day international against Pakistan on November 13, played the first Test because the appeal could not be heard in time.
The 32-year-old missed the last two Tests of the four-match series against Australia due to a groin strain.
Opener Virender Sehwag, who struck an explosive 164 in Kanpur, is in top form. Gautam Gambhir cracked 96 in Kanpur in only his second Test but the other batsmen, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman, are woefully short of runs.
South Africa, who in 2000 became the first team to beat India at home 15 series, are in a transition with stalwarts such as paceman Allan Donald and batsman Gary Kirsten having retired.
They suffered a further blow when opener Herschelle Gibbs and left-arm spinner Nicky Boje opted out of the tour for fear of being detained by the Delhi police, still investigating the match-fixing scandal which had rocked cricket four years ago.
But Andrew Hall rose to the occasion in Kanpur, scoring a career-best 163, and Zander de Bruyn smashed 83 on debut.
South Africa will be further strengthened by the return to fitness of all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who did not bowl in Kanpur because of a side strain.
Pacemen Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini can expect more assistance from a track on which the ball seams around early.
