#TFGtake: Steyn Gun is all fired up, can the Indian batsmen come up with a bullet proof plan?

RECORDS, STATISTICS, AND FREQUENT MATCH-WINNING bursts will suggest that Dale Steyn has been the best fast bowler for a considerable amount of time in Test match cricket. From Durban, Karachi, Nagpur, Galle to Melbourne, Steyn’s hostile bowling has left formidable batting line-ups in disarray. 

Swing, seam, pace, and above all, accuracy has been the hallmark of South Africa’s premier pacer. This rare ability has propelled Steyn to wreck havoc, regardless of the conditions. Simply put, Steyn is the complete fast bowler in contemporary Test cricket! 

Looking ahead to the India-South Africa Tests, Steyn’s threat looms large for the hosts. Sure, the pacer didn’t produce magic spells in the recently concluded ODIs, but Steyn hasn’t come across as a tearaway, destroyer in ODIs as compared to the longer format. That said, it would be a folly to expect anything less than an inspirational bowling performance from Steyn in the upcoming Tests. 

Let’s just cast our mind back to 2008, India-South Africa Test match in Ahmedabad. Indian fans wouldn’t have forgotten how Steyn’s new-ball burst left the celebrated, Indian batting line-up in tatters. Steyn’s dream-spell, early on the first day set up the tone for the visitors to register a handsome win. In the end, Steyn picked up eight wickets for the Test.   

There was more to come from Steyn in the following tour of 2010 at Nagpur. On a flat, unresponsive wicket, Steyn tore through the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag to mark another mammoth win for the Proteas. Steyn finished the match with 10 wickets to his credit. 

As mentioned before, besides denting oppositions in seamer friendly conditions, Steyn has also been incredibly successful in winning games on slow, low and abrasive pitches in the sub-continent. 

Steyn’s impressive numbers in the sub-continent:

Steyn has played 19 Tests in the sub-continent since 2006 and has taken 90 wickets at a staggering average of 22.33. 

He also leads legends such as Glenn McGrath, Malcolm Marshall, Shaun Pollock and Richard Hadlee for the most Test wickets by overseas pacers in Asia. 

Steyn’s success and greatness also lies in the fact that he is only second to the great Pakistani, Waqar Younis in terms of best strike rate among fast bowlers in Asia. 

Heading into the Test series in a few days, Steyn would be itching to go hard at the Indian batsmen. Besides the wicket in Mohali, the other surfaces in Bangalore, Nagpur and Delhi will provide little or no assistance to the pacers. But as we have seen in the past, Steyn is a lethal exponent of reverse swing, and could make serious in-roads into the Indian line-up. 

If Steyn’s initial burst with the new ball is going to be a challenge for the Indian batsmen, then his ability to move the old ball late can be a nightmare for the middle and lower-order. Moreover, Steyn remains one of the fittest fast bowlers in world cricket coupled with the ability to relentlessly bowl at a brisk pace. However, the visitors would be tempted to use their trump card in short bursts. One way or the other, a daunting task awaits the hosts.  

Furthermore, India’s record against Steyn’s onslaught over the years isn’t anything worth boasting and the current crop of Indian batsmen will be carrying bitter memories from the Boxing Day Test at Durban in 2013. Kohli, Rahane, Dhawan and Sharma will remember how Steyn’s heroics snatched victory from India’s grasp in the last Test between the two nations. 

Come Thursday, expect Steyn to run in, hit the deck hard, get in the face of the Indian batsmen and may be, get involved in some on-field banter or two. The Sunrisers’ pacer understands the Indian conditions better than most overseas pacers and would be all geared up to let it rip…

The Steyn Gun has his target set on the Indians. Can the hosts come up with a bullet proof plan to negate the Steyn impact? Or will India be rattled again by the South African spearhead? 

We will soon discover. For the moment, though, whether any Indian fan likes it or not, Steyn will swing the ball left, seam it right. Pitch it up, dig in short. Regardless, will be amongst the wickets.