World Cup 2015: South Africa vulnerable without Kallis, says Callaghan

MUMBAI: Dave Callaghan played in an era where South Africa had plenty of all-rounders and he always had to fight for his place. The presence of fine allrounders meant the Proteas didn't have to worry about the lower-order batting too much. The trend continued till recently but the retirement of Jacques Kallis has created a big void.
And that is one of the chinks in South Africa's armour which Callaghan spoke about while talking to TOI on Friday from Port Elizabeth. While the critics rate South Africans as favourites, the former all-rounder feels that they are very much beatable.
"Kallis even at 39 or 40 would have been more useful than Farhaan Behardien. he is still active and can bat anywhere in the top six. He could have played anchor to this line-up. His experience would have helped South Africa. Besides, he would have been motivated as World Cup is the only box he hasn't ticked in his career," the 50-year old said.
Callaghan says that the lack of allrounders may tax the team management. "They have got selection problems ahead. Farhaan doesn't fall into same category as Kallis or Shaun Pollock or Lance Klusener. That means if India get through the middle order, it will expose the tail. They still don't know whom to bat at No.7 as Farhaan isn't a good enough bowler. If they go with four bowlers and somebody have an off day , Farhaan can't be trusted to bowl 10 overs. Then, they have 20 overs to fill," he said.
Callaghan feels the India game will be massive for South Africa. "If they win this one, they will get a weaker team in the quarterfinal.They have a tendency of losing playoffs in major tournaments. So if they are up against say Australia or New Zealand, it will put a lot of pressure on them as the crowds will also be against them," said Callaghan, who played 29 ODIs for South Africa.
"India will be motivated to do well as they don't have a good record against South Africa in the Cup.They would like to change this.They have some fabulous stroke players. If they play SA pacers smartly, they can put up a big score on the board and that would be the key," he said.
Callaghan says India need to strike with the new ball. "I think one of their top three SA batsmen needs to play a long innings every time. Faf du Plesis isn't in the best of form. If you get Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock and expose Du Plessis early, you can get through to the middle order. They will take some time to settle down and that's where you can put pressure on them by not allowing them to bat freely as they normally do," he said.
While South Africa have a history of not playing spinners well, Callaghan says the situation has changed over the years. "They have toured the sub-continent regularly and know what to expect. It would have been a different game had India played South Africa in New Zealand. Spin might not be threatening in Australia as the ball comes on nicely," he concluded.