THE South African campaign was always bound to be a challenging one and it is a tour that will get hotter as the Test series begins. But then, this also provides an opportunity for Sourav Ganguly's men to set right the country's lopsided home and away record.
The return of Sachin Tendulkar is obviously a huge boost for the Indians psychologically and his coming back should not just be judged by the number of runs he should undoubtedly score.
Tendulkar puts fear in the bowlers, and this does take some pressure off the other batsmen as well. And the left-right opening partnership with Sourav Ganguly in the ODI's is only getting better.
Indeed, the manner in which Ganguly is striking the ball augurs well for India. It is important for a captain to lead by example, and the runs he makes will surely enhance his standing when it comes to taking tough decisions.
For long Ganguly had seemed a skipper under siege, with his personal form and on-field behaviour coming under scrutiny. On the tour of South Africa, runs have flowed from the blade of the southpaw from Bengal and he has been careful with his behaviour as well.
Ajit Agarkar, the often enigmatic paceman, is also firing them in accurately. The Mumbai bowler was a late selection in the side, after Ashish Nehra failed his fitness test.
Yet, he has made full use of the opportunity, operating with a sense of purpose. Agarkar has a natural ability to achieve lateral movement, but in South Africa so far, he has also bowled a probing line, making the deliveries count.
The paceman appears keen to prove a point, which is not such a bad thing really, for it is this combative streak that enables cricketers to re-invent themselves.
Senior paceman Javagal Srinath has also bowled with aggression and is desperately keen to put behind the disappointments of injuries behind.
This also suggests India has stumbled on a new ball combination that is working well, and as and when Zaheer Khan and Nehra return, the pace attack is bound to get stronger.
The canny Venkatesh Prasad, the best Indian paceman during the Tests in Lanka, is around too, and given the conditions, he could prove handy indeed.
From pace to spin. Harbhajan Singh, who had such a disappointing Test series in Lanka, has bowled quite beautifully in the triangular competition.
Earlier, Harbhajan tended to bowl flat in the ODIs and carried this habit into Test cricket as well. And this was probably the principal cause for his below-par display in Lanka, where he was surely not his usual aggressive self.
The Harbhajan Singh we have seen in South Africa comes as a refreshing contrast. He is flighting the ball, beating the batsmen in the air, spinning the deliveries sharply, teasing and tormenting the batsmen.
To put it in simple terms, Harbhajan is a match-winner, with the ability to turn a game around in a matter of overs. And with the Sardar regaining his confidence, the buzz is back in his bowling.
Senior leg-spinner Anil Kumble is back in the hunt too. The Karnataka bowler hasn't taken much time to find his rhythm, coming back from a career threatening shoulder injury.
Kumble does provide the cutting edge to the attack with his accuracy, and bounce. He is also eager to make up for lost time, and is bound to make life hard for the batsmen.
And the coming together of Kumble and Harbhajan raises interesting possibilities. The duo has the ability to win the Test series for India. Yes, this is not an improbable thought.
The South African batting is much too dependent on Jacques Kallis, and there are too many batsmen in the side who are not comfortable against spin.
The Proteas have tried the sweep shot to counter the spinners without too much success and unless they use their feet and pick runs off the Indian spin duo straight down the ground, they are bound to make things tougher for themselves.
The element of bounce in the South African pitches should help Harbhajan and Kumble too, and with the close-in cordon in place, there should be no dearth of vociferous shouts.
Incidentally, this is the first time the rejuvenated Harbhajan is teaming up with Kumble. The two have bowled in tandem earlier, but that was before the period Harbhajan emerged as a major spinner against Australia. The prospect of the two operating together was awaited with keen interest.
And when the Test matches get underway, the Indian batting should be bolstered by the return of Sadagopan Ramesh and V.V.S. Laxman. Ramesh batted with composure in Lanka, providing the team with sound starts along with Das, though the big scores eluded him.
Laxman, in full flow, belongs to the 'Big League' and he must be awaiting the challenge of taking on Allan Donald & Co. keenly. Yes, the fiery Donald should be back for the Tests, so should the promising Ngam.
Ngam is rated among the quickest in the business, and if this bowler can put behind his injury worries, he can pose some searching questions to the Indian batsmen.
In the past, it is the Indian batting that has let the side down in the decisive games, whether it was the shocking setback in Harare or the meek surrender in Colombo.
The Indian batsmen will certainly have their task cut out when the South African pacemen come thundering in. It is not going to be easy. It is not impossible either.
But first, the Indians will have to clinch the triangular competition. The likely clash against the Proteas in the final could set the tone for the more important Test series. The onus is on the Indians to grab the initiative early.
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