Brett Schultz: It's going to be hard, but India can worry South Africa

Brett Schultz

He was called the Bear. And it was often suggested that he was kept caged, meat dangled out in front, till the time came to unleash him. On the field, Brett Schultz, the bustling left-arm quick, was a beast of a bowler, roughing up the best in the business. Off it, he's a charming gentleman, all smiles and courtesy.

Schultz, who bowled the first ball on South African soil after the team was back in international cricket, against the Indians in 1992-93, remembers well what that was like.

"It was called the Friendship tour, but it wasn't friendship on the ground," Schultz, now in business and insurance and far from cricket, told mid-day. "I do remember (current) Indian coach Ravi Shastri was the opening batter and after two balls of Test cricket I said something to him and he couldn't actually believe that this young whippersnapper was giving him a go."

Schultz's first wicket was Ajay Jadeja, who he had given a thorough working over with hostile, short-pitched bowling at pace. "Yeah, I remember that first wicket, I can play it through my brain now. That moment I remember now with my mum and dad, looking at them in the stands, it was an amazing moment, taking the first wicket on South African soil because they had played in West Indies and I wasn't there. My coach helped me pick up a yard of pace and suddenly catapulted me into the reckoning. Earlier, I was there but wasn't quite good enough."

Schultz, 47, had a brief but impactful career of nine Tests (1992 to 1997) claiming 37 wickets. Injuries and repeated surgeries cutting short what could have been. While he is not involved in coaching or commentary any longer, Schultz still watches enough cricket to have an opinion and is at Newlands watching India play the opening Test.

"Let's be honest, it will be tough here for India because the ball does bounce and the last couple of times they came here the wickets were more suitable to India than to South Africa. If you look at the three venues they have chosen this time (Cape Town, Centurion and Johannesburg), there is no Durban which is going to make it even more tough for India. I think a lot is going to be determined in the opening Test. But India's got a good chance."

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