It's a battle between India's batting and South Africans' bowling

NAGPUR: While  cricket fans rejoice the arrival of the weekend and a prospect of a magnificent clash between India and South Africa at the on-going World Cup, it promises to be a gruelling day in office for the players. Stationed in Nagpur for the big Saturday game, South Africa present the biggest challenge to the Indians in the Group B league phase thus far.

What finally transpires at the VCA Stadium at Jamtha is anyone's guess; pre-game its evident the South Africans are a relaxed lot with a point to prove. The pressure of expectations is gnawing at the Indians for whom this contest is crucial to gain some psychological advantage.

It is essentially a battle between the India's batting prowess and the South Africans' bowling firepower. With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and MS Dhoni from India pitted against prolific talents like Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, Hasim Amla and Dale Steyn - spectators are guaranteed a thrilling contest. Both teams come into the clash with reputations to defend, adding further weight to their high-profile arsenal.

Indian captain-cool MS Dhoni is currently under intense scrutiny for his constant support to under-forming leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. With sharp criticism on India's bowling doing the rounds, how he tweaks this department for the match will be the subject of many debates. The team's bowling strategy assumes special importance against a side like South Africa who has a tendency to disintegrate against slow bowlers.

Dhoni's usual preference is for two pacers and two spinners. However the pitch in Nagpur is different from the slow and low turf at the Kotla - here it's a flat pitch. Thus there's much speculation on what surprises Dhoni has up his sleeve. Fortunately Yuvraj Singh has made himself useful as the fifth bowler and an effective one too. That leaves Dhoni with the task of identifying two bowlers who will assist Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh in their work against the opponent's batting order and get the combination right before the knock-out stages begin.

Despite being undone rather easily in their last match against England, the South Africans are projecting an easy confidence in their gait. Their take is they're past the stage of faltering at crucial times, no matter what the circumstances. But, as cricketing history has shown, such feats are easier said than achieved. Their dismal performance in the previous game has put a question mark on their claim. With pride at stake, the South Africans have ample reason to want this victory desperately – even though they're not showing it.

There is one little worry for Smith. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who fractured his left thumb during the England match, is yet to recover well. The South African skipper said decision on Tahir will be taken on Saturday morning.