On a cracker of a batting pitch, the Rediff.com expert decided that 325 was a "par" score; but 378 would be tough.
As AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith walked out to open, South Africa's pressure index (PI) was 140. South Africa did not let this deter them and de Villiers blazed away to get 10 in the very first over.
Smith too started swatting his bat for boundaries with such assurance that one wondered if this was the same batsman that Zaheer Khan tied into knots not very long ago.
After 5 overs, it was 40/0 with a PI of 127. Things got even better when Glenn McGrath steamed in to bowl the sixth over. The first three balls went for boundaries and the great bowler looked livid and helpless. It happens to everyone; when will India's veterans realize that their time too is up?
SA's PI dropped to 105 at the 15-over mark, and towards the end of the 20th over it was at its lowest point of 91. Unfortunately de Villiers was out the very next ball and the PI again climbed to 100.
With Jacques Kallis coming in, and pottering around as usual, it didn't look too good for SA. One freak Shane Watson over, featuring 5 wides and then 5 more extras as the ball hit wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist's cap, sustained the illusion of SA's well-being. But when Smith started cramping and left the field it was effectively over.
Kallis needed a more aggressive partner, but Herschelle Gibbs, who fitted the bill admirably, wasn't quite himself. The PI still stayed just above 100 till the 31st over, and even touched 100 after a Gibbs sixer. But as Gibbs perished, and Ashwell Prince followed him, the PI jumped to 120.
The PI climbed steadily as the overs started depleting. Smith tried to rework his magic, but even he knew that the game was up.
Sunil T of Cranes Software helped create this pressure map based on the details retrieved from the Rediff scorer
