It ain't India without a collapse

After India became World No. 1 in Tests, there seems to be at least one good top order collapse reserved for every series.

In the very first innings as Numero Uno, we were 182-7 with Bangladesh. We got our act together in the second innings and managed to win.

We conceded a first innings lead of 325 against South Africa and then a lead of 244 with Sri Lanka. We went down 0-1 at the beginning of both these series thanks to that.

Tendulkar's half-century of Test centuries  |  Is Sachin the greatest?

In the very next series, chasing 216 with Australia, we were 124-8, but still scraped through. With New Zealand we were a dismal 65-5, but managed to sail through in the series thanks to two back-to-back centuries by late-order batsman Harbhajan Singh.

Of course, Centurion was a new low for India. If it had been a genuine hostile pitch and we were defeated in a shootout, then one would have understood. But the middle three days produced a whopping 1000 runs.

India, however, still managed to lose 10 wickets for 136 runs in the first innings and the last 4 wickets for a paltry 10 runs in the second.

Text: Sunil Rajguru (The author is a Bangalore-based journalist and blogger)

Images: AFP

In Image: South African Dale Steyn (C) celebrates after dismissing Indian batsman VVS Laxman during the first day of the first Test Between South Africa and India at Super Sports Park in Centurion on December 16, 2010.