Hasim Amla - Man of the Match (Gallo Images)

Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Cape Town – The Proteas, albeit under slightly new management in Nagpur, have continued their late-season re-awakening in Test cricket.

Tuesday’s momentous triumph over India in the first Test there was their second successive victory by an innings – England last tasted that unpalatable fate at the Wanderers a few weeks ago – and a return to the helm of the rankings for the first time since the series success in Australia last summer is now just one inviting win or draw from their grasp at Kolkata from Sunday.

South Africa need only win the two-match series 1-0 to seize the mantle from the Indians, and another incentive to avoid defeat at Eden Gardens will be the prospect of landing the US$175 000 the ICC gives to the team heading the list on April 1.

The turnaround in fortunes by Graeme Smith and company has been surprisingly swift, and perhaps bears out the view of many good judges that the battle to be No 1 in the world will be a see-sawing one involving three or four teams for some time to come.

It will be all about sustaining good standards by the best outfits, and certainly in Nagpur the Proteas achieved precisely that on almost every front in a satisfying, four-day demolition job which gives them a deserved extra day of “feet up” before attempting to land the truly killer blow in Kolkata.

India were comprehensively out-batted and out-bowled in the first encounter, even if they were unsettled by a pretty heavy list of “big gun” injury casualties on the batting front, which tested and then slightly showed up their reserve strength.

Their big dilemma now will be over the balance of the side as they attempt to show their mettle by bouncing back for the levelling triumph on what should be another examination of patience and durability on a funereal surface.

Their four-man attack at Nagpur, comprising just two seamers and two specialist spinners, could not prevent South Africa, spearheaded by man-of-the-match Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, posting an imposing total after batting first.

But if they gamble on an extra bowler at Kolkata, it would then leave their presently brittle-looking batting order less properly staffed than they would like – despite some second-knock signs of backbone in the first Test from the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.

The last-named customer is highly unlikely to play in the second Test after being hastily drafted in for his debut on the eve of the Nagpur contest.

The Proteas will have far fewer problems over the construction of their XI, although there are ongoing concerns about the lack of confidence and form at the crease of Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy – do they tweak a winning combo or should there finally be a maiden start for Alviro Petersen?

As always they are blessed by having someone of Jacques Kallis’s calibre as their fifth bowler: even when the veteran is not grabbing big hauls he tends to apply pressure and “plug” an end tidily.

It may be a small point, but with the last ball of the second-last over before South Africa closed the deal at Nagpur, Kallis – now described as “medium-pace” on the TV credits – sent down a delivery timed at 144.2km/h.

Coming in the 107th over of a follow-on innings in typical Subcontinent heat, it said a lot about the desire of this Proteas’ attack where every bowler played his part despite rampant Dale Steyn (23 wickets in his last three Tests) rightly hogging the limelight with his fourth 10-wicket match haul.

The oft-criticised Paul Harris did an excellent “slow strangulation” job in the Indian second innings, probing away at the rough outside the right-handers’ leg stump and getting through 38 overs at exactly two runs to the over for three crucial wickets – including that of Sachin Tendulkar immediately after he had notched his overdue maiden century against South Africa in India.

Harris was as instrumental as anybody in keeping the potentially dangerous Mahendra Singh Dhoni quiet: the home captain is not normally known for only getting to 25 in a 112-ball vigil, is he?

Similarly, it is seldom that the first six of an Indian innings in their own habitat comes deep into the second dig: Harbhajan finally broke the duck over long-on off Harris with the total on 231 for six.

The game was satisfying too for young Wayne Parnell, playing his second Test for the Proteas and first on the Subcontinent: the left-armer had some success operating around the wicket and frustrating the natural flamboyance of India’s right-handers.

Nagpur was not far off the pantheon of legendary Test performances by South Africa. Now they must strive to keep their collective feet firmly on the pedal…