Forget spin, it’s all about the Rabada and Bumrah blockbuster

INDIA is home to one of the largest film industries in the world. Bollywood yields figures in the region of $1.5 billion - second only to Hollywood and China. It produces close to 2 000 movies annually. But tomorrow, the biggest showstopper in the land will feature at Eden Gardens in Kolkata when the world Test champion Proteas face up against their hosts India in the series premiere. It's the hottest ticket in town with reports emanating from India that the 65 000-seater stadium is already sold out. There may be multiple languages spoken in India, but cricket is the universal mother tongue. The thousands waiting outside the iconic Eden Gardens - despite the presence of heavily armed security - just for a glimpse of their heroes arriving in the bus for training this week has certainly given the visitors a taste of the frenzy they can expect over the course of the next five days. And while the Proteas may be the current world Test champions, do not for one minute think they are favourites for this series. For those familiar with the Rocky series, it's a bit like the third edition where Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) may have been in possession of the belt, but it was the challenger Clubber Lang (Mr T) who had the muscle to throw the power-packed punches. Proteas fans will be hoping it has a similar ending to the 1982 movie though. Custom dictates that all the pre-series talk will be about how much - not if - the Indian pitches will turn and whether the tourists’ batters are prepared for a trial by spin. It has certainly gone to script, although the hosts have been cognisant of the fact that the Proteas boast a spin arsenal that may even be better than their own.

- ZAAHIER ADAMS

The Australians may have something to say about it, but in my book the duo are the two greatest fast bowlers on the planet.

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad was in agreement on Wednesday.

"I think everybody talks about spin in India, but on both sides they've got world-class fast bowlers," Conrad said.