Calling this series the World Championship of Cricket, as the host broadcaster is, will be an exaggeration, but it does start a cycle of about two years by the end of which we could spot the undisputed best Test team. Both teams have reason to believe they can occupy the spot vacated by Australia. Both say it's not the rankings, but consistent good cricket against tough opposition at home and away, that will make them the best team. Over the next two years, they will get ample opportunity to do that against each other, and they will hate to let Australia sneak in again. To achieve their ends, though, India and South Africa have to overcome the immediate challenges posed by a slew of personnel changes. The hosts are without two key batsmen - Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh - and the visitors have a new coach and selection panel. India are new to the concept of dominating in Test cricket. The current winning streak of four matches - two each against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - is their joint-longest in more than 77 years of Test cricket. They last won four in a row when they blanked hapless England 3-0 in 1992-93, followed by a one-off win against Zimbabwe. But one thing that this particular unit can't be accused of is carrying demons from, or reverence for, the past.
The incredible belief this team has is what sets it apart from the previous units that represented India. It's been more than two years since that infamous Sydney Test, and they have lost just three more games. Apart from the victories, there have been creditable draws along the way - in Bangalore against Australia, in Napier, in
Ahmedabad against Sri Lanka. Those were matches India would have struggled to save in the past. Those were matches where the belief shone in adversity, setting up crucial series wins. This time, though, they face adversity of a different kind: with Dravid and Yuvraj out, and VVS Laxman not yet certain to play, they go in with their most inexperienced middle order since Dravid became a permanent member of the side in the mid-nineties. Every observer is waiting, everybody wants a peek into the future, everybody wants to know if India can make winning a habit, or if they will have to start all over again, when Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman eventually go.
That's the kind of chink South Africa will look to exploit in a two-match series where margins will be fine for both sides. They have statistically been the best visitors to the country in the last decade, winning one series, drawing one, and losing one since 2000, a record any side visiting India would be proud of. However, on this trip they come with problems of their own, which are unique in that they go beyond cricket.
The last time they came to Nagpur, South Africa shook the cricketing world. Sometimes mild tremors are still felt. This time, they were themselves shaken before coming to Nagpur. The upheaval back home - Mickey Arthur resigning and the sacking of the selectors - and a drawn home series against England wasn't the best preparation for one of the most difficult cricket tours. Yet they arrived quietly confident, with a largely settled batting order and an aggressive new-ball combination. They also come without huge expectations, they are not being talked up, and they have shown in the past that's when they are at their most dangerous.
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