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NEW DELHI: At this point if you're an Indian cricket fan, you've probably given up. Soon it will all be over, you may be thinking, and we will spend the next few weeks bitterly lamenting this and moping about that.In tours to South Africa of the past, an Indian team being down 0-1 in a three-match series would have been the signal for a period of disillusion. Virat Kohli 's Indian team landed in South Africa as No 1 in the ICC Test Championship, but with questions over their abilities to succeed in conditions were Indian teams have always struggled.Now, heading into the second Test at Centurion starting Saturday, India are looking for a reversal of fortune - one that fans hoped might happen in Cape Town this week. Victory is possible. It really is.When an Indian team's chances in an overseas Test series recede dramatically, it has been common to focus on the what-ifs. India were smashed on day four in Cape Town. There is no debating that.But looking closer, they lost the match on day one, when they let South Africa off the hook from 12/3 and then when Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli fell in the span of half an hour before stumps. AB de Villiers' counter-attacking half-century shifted the tone of the first day, with the maverick batsman hitting Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of the attack after the seamer took three wickets in no time. Vernon Philander walked away as Man of the Match for nine wickets, but de Villiers could rightfully have won those honours for his innings of 65 on day one. And don't forget his 35 during South Africa's capitulation to 130 on day four - it was the highest score of the second innings.There was plenty of good work done by India's pace bowlers in Cape Town, and if they strengthen their attack with the experienced Ishant Sharma , whose height will be an undeniable asset at Centurion, there is no reason not to believe that an encore is possible. South Africa, despite their batting strength, are a team prone to shakiness when the ball is moving. In Bhuvneshwar, Ishant, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, India have a fine attack capable of repeating a good performance - even outdoing that - if they tighten up and do not allow South African any breathing space.Centurion's pitch is expected to aid bounce more than Cape Town's did, and in Ishant and Shami, they have two quicks who can do serious damage. Umesh Yadav is another, but he seems to have fallen behind the pecking order after being the most improved bowler during India's record home Test season last year.And now, the batting. After Bhuvneshwar, Shami and Bumrah's stellar work, which led to a South African collapse of eight wickets for 65 runs, India's target in five sessions was 208. Hope soared, as it should have, for Indian fans.But instead we watched India's openers combust after a start of 30 runs. Then we saw Cheteshwar Pujara get a peach of a delivery and nick off. And then we saw Kohli whip across the line after a busy start that hinted at so much more.From 71/4, India went to 75/6, 77/6 and then 82/7 with the last ball before tea. Splendid.With the fall of each wicket, the South African chorus grew louder and India's spirit was sapped, each wicket after bloody wicket. R Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar briefly lifted the mood with a partnership of 49 in which they made batting seam so much easier, but back came Philander, with Quinton de Kock suddenly standing up to the stumps, and in four deliveries the game was over. India did not just lose, they lost spectacularly. Once again, a touring Indian team had been beaten soundly by a South African team.Yes, that fourth-day collapse was stunning, but India should not view that as the reason for defeat in Cape Town. The first day was huge in the final outcome. Kohli, Ravi Shastri and the men who matter have selection dilemmas on their hands, as highlighted in these pages already. By playing an extra batsman in Ajinkya Rahane , and taking the tough call to drop Ashwin, India can take a step forward. It will be bold, which is what they did by picking Rohit Sharma over Rahane in Cape Town and handing a debut to Bumrah. Ashwin's role is limited in conditions like Centurion, where the bounce will be India's biggest challenge. They need to bolster the batting, and in playing Rahane instead of Ashwin, as well as bringing in KL Rahul for Dhawan, they will be doing just that.Kohli is a batsman who has fought damn hard to change perceptions of him. He has scaled many heights, and after failing to make an impact in Cape Town, he will be determined to leave a mark at Centurion. He knows what South Africa will hurl at him. Expect him to be prepared. Pujara got a gem in the second innings, but will have put that behind him. This is a batsman with success in South Africa, and you can bet your bottom dollar that he will call on that experience. India's biggest disappointment in Cape Town was Vijay, one of the finest openers in the game, for the way in which he was dismissed both times. But like Pujara, he is a vault of experience and that has to count come Saturday. And then there is Rahane, who must play given his overseas success (an average of 53.44 overseas, compared to 33.63 in India).Can India win at Centurion? Yes. There are enough positives from Cape Town to allude to that. If they tighten up the batting and control their lines - they will have learned plenty from watching de Villiers counter-punch - it is possible. It may feel like India are on the brink of yet another crippling overseas defeat, but there is hope. Slim, some will rightfully argue, but hope nevertheless.