Virender Sehwag was not exactly returning to the eleven in the drawn Chennai Test against South Africa – he had come back for the last two Tests of the Australian tour. His knock of 151 in the second innings in Adelaide had ensured that India avoided defeat in the final Test Down Under. It proved that there was still enough gas left in his tank to take India to greater heights. Chennai was one city where Sehwag had scored well in previous Tests.

He selected the venue to stamp his class once again. His 319 was extraordinary. Strokes flowed from his willow and his partners were left as mere spectators to the master-knock. Dilip Vengsarkar was forced to eat his words – he had been vocally critical of Sehwag's position in the batting. Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble had to fight with 'the Colonel’ to ensure that Sehwag stayed in the squad. It was Sehwag's turn to repay the faith shown in him by the seniors in the Indian team. His quick knock ensured that the momentum did not swing the Proteas way after the huge 500 score that they had posted in the first innings. Dravid and Wasim Jaffer gave much-needed support but Dravid could not repeat the same with the other batsmen after Sehwag's dismissal. However, Dravid did go past 10,000 runs, which is testament to his endurance and hard work over the years.

The speed with which Sehwag blasted the runs on the third day meant that the Indian team had a possibility of getting a lead of 150-200 runs over the South Africans. That they ended up just 87 ahead was purely down to the bowling of Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn on the fourth day. Once Sehwag departed, the rest of the batsmen struggled against the pace even on such a placid pitch. The third day's lessons given by Sehwag were learnt very quickly by the bowling attack and the result was very much visible to everyone.

‘Once Sehwag departed, the rest of the batsmen struggled against the pace even on such a placid pitch.’

On the batting front, the South Africans must have been pleased to carry on with their good form from the Bangladesh series. Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla made big scores in both innings to give their side the edge over the Indian bowlers. Graeme Smith also got good starts. The rest of the batsmen started well but could not consolidate to get a bigger score.

From the Indian bowlers, it was surprising to see the commitment shown by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and RP Singh, although the duo made some severe lapses on the Field. The captain must surely have had some strong words for them in the dressing room post-mortem. Harbhajan Singh came back to silence his critics with an eight-wicket haul, though one feels that he was not so menacing on the final day. Kumble is improving as a captain every Test and this one was no different.

Overall, the honours were even at the end of this first Test, which was a fair result given the performance of both teams. Sehwag, Dravid and Harbhajan will be the main concern for the Proteas whereas the Indians will be concentrating on McKenzie, Amla and Steyn.