After the rock solid Laxman, Dinesh Kaarthick was up and by this time my back was going into spasm even if my spirits were as high as ever. The flat Potchefstroom pitch had taken its toll on me so when Kaarthick got a leading edge off a short one, that would have been a dolly of a catch for even the worst mid-on, I knew that I had proven enough for today.

My big toe had started to bleed and this was just the excuse I needed to toss the ball back to Chappell. Besides, Mahendra Dhoni was already murdering the spinners in the other net and was bound to come in shortly.

(Eduan Roos is a senior cricket writer for Rapport, a Sunday Afrikaans newspaper. He is 23, has played in the under-19 team for North West Province, and was among the 100 Brightest Minds of South Africa in 2005).