At last, Amla feels at home in these conditions |
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Friday March 28, 02:26 AM
The last time Hashim Amla toured India, there was a lot of talk revolving around how the batsman, of Indian descent, would perform in the land of his ancestors (his grand-parents were born in Surat).
So miserable were his numbers though (26 runs in two innings), that he was mostly ignored in the run-up to this three-Test series. On a hot, sticky summer day in Chennai today, he grabbed the headlines once again with a back-breaking 159 in tough conditions.
A devout Muslim, he stands out in the South African outfit - not just for the beard. He refuses to sport any alcohol logo on his official team apparel, says no to pork and is a serious campaigner when it comes to tackling racism.
He's been picked in a squad that has been hit by selection controversies, and while Amla doesn't talk about the quota system, the fact that every second sentence he utters includes "We South Africans" shows how proud he is about where he belongs.
For a cricketer who undertook these responsibilities at a very tender age, Amla is undoubtedly very happy that his first overseas century (his first against any country other than New Zealand, in fact), has come against India.
"This one (century) is right up there, maybe number two," he says, despite the effort coming on a flat track. The reason he rates this knock so highly is because it came in serious testing conditions - hot and humid - and because his team needed to capitalise on a good day one effort.
Here's a match on in the spin country, being led by the world's third highest wicket-taker who's a spinner and for Amla, the fact that the wicket wasn't offering much help for the bowlers, "and looked good for batting" was an opportunity to pounce on.
Amla's personal cricket journey to Tests hasn't been all that easy either. In 2005, after a poor series against England at home, until which he had played a mere three Tests, Amla got dropped. He made a comeback the next year after spending three months on the domestic circuit.
His second coming has been impressive. The right-hander has scored four centuries, including this 159 on Thursday, and seven half-centuries. For someone who had led the country's under-19 team in 2002, the recent run-glut is probably just the beginning.
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