Slings, arrows and the short stuff

India's cricketers practised in the tranquil surroundings of the outdoor nets at Centurion, and after a tour thus far characterised by dismal failures, there was a spring in a few steps after the Pro20 victory. Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag were first into the nets, and most eyes were on Laxman as he settled down for the only practice he'll get before Sunday's game.

Ian Frazer was chucking them down to Tendulkar from 15 yards, trying to emulate the angle and the steepling bounce that Makhaya Ntini generates from wide of the stumps. Tendulkar got hit once, but also crunched some pleasing drives as he discussed with Frazer how the South African pace battery could be handled.

Laxman eased into his drives straightaway, upright and elegant in his full-sleeved shirt. Along with the strokeplay, there were enough occasions when he let the ball dart past the off stump. On pitches of this kind, leaving the ball is as much an art as picking the right one to hit.

It was also sobering to watch the body language and demeanour of those players who will be heading home on Monday. Dinesh Mongia looked fairly relaxed, perhaps a result of his near-matchwinning hand on Friday, but Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif looked a little lost. Raina bowled some innocuous offspin in the nets, and Kaif was seen telling a reporter how life is all about ups and downs, and how he just had to concentrate on the Ranji games that will come around as soon as he lands back in India.

Raina's plight evoked a passionate response from one of his seniors. Clearly smarting from the criticism directed the team's way, he said: "I find it astonishing that so much of the anger and ridicule is directed at the junior players. It's the big boys who win you games. And when they're not performing, why pick on these boys?"

He was right too. South Africa have been bailed out in successive games by three of their one-day stalwarts - Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp and Herschelle Gibbs. Kemp may only have played around 50 games, but he's been around the block long enough to know the score. And, unlike Raina, he's not 20 years old.

"This is a boy who helped win you games in Pune [against Sri Lanka], Pakistan and on a very tricky pitch at Faridabad [against England]," he continued. "And now I hear that he's completely useless. I guess you expect it in India, where we tend to have very little perspective."

Those called up for the Tests have been imbued with the qualities that only messiahs possess, and this player could only laugh when asked about the clamour for change. "What are our options? Which players have been so outstanding in domestic cricket to demand a place? Those returning have been tried before. It's not like it's their first chance.

"When a player is out of the team, I hear of him having qualities that we were never aware of before. It was the same with me and several others when we were dropped. One minute, we're the worst thing to happen to Indian cricket, and when we're out of the side there's a huge sympathy wave to bring us back."

As for Raina, the battle is clearly lost for the moment. "Some of us have tried to keep his [Raina's] confidence up," the player said. "But it's reached a stage where we could destroy the kid if we played him any further. It's just a shame."