Virat Kohli. (Reuters Photo)

NEW DELHI: The dream flickered. No, no. Hold on. It hissed and spat and jumped out of the embers. A position of potential heartbreak was turned in a matter of moments. The underdogs were punching above their weight in a manner rarely seen in these parts. It was electric. At water coolers and coffee machines and printers, the talk was not of when India would lose, but rather the possibility of them winning before the fourth day was over. Hope soared. You could feel it all around you. It was strange. Absurd. Spine-tingling, briefly.

John McClane was plucking out each of Hans Gruber's hired villains, but without bare feet bloodied by shards of glass. The Karate Kid was drop-kicking those high school bullies and ruddy idiots from Cobra Kai without breaking a sweat. Simran was reaching out to grab Raj's outstretched hand, but without all that family melodrama and having to chase a moving train. Was it all possible?

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And then, poof! That old phantom emerged, embraced India in its deathly bear grip, and off they gladly went, as equals, into that afterlife known as The Great Indian Batting Collapse. Ho hum.

Set 208 with five sessions to go at Newlands, India combusted for 135. The third lowest target they failed to chase down (Barbados, you remain in hallowed territory). A whole day washed out was removed from the picture. A South Africa collapse of eight wickets for 65 runs in one of the most dramatic sessions of play in those parts was negated. It was stunning. But it was familiar.

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One after the other, India's batsmen came and went. Shikhar Dhawan - how else? - spliced an edge while in a total tangle. Murali Vijay flashed to third slip. Cheteshwar Pujara 's bat suddenly found itself moving in that awkward manner which sees edges fly behind the stumps. Virat Kohli played around his pads. Rohit Sharma got out as Rohit Sharma does. Hardik Pandya flayed to gully. Off the last ball of the second session, Wriddhiman Saha became the seventh wicket to fall. India were 82/7.

It was Barbados 1997, Jamaica 2002, Bangalore 2005, Mumbai/Durban 2006 and Old Trafford/Adelaide 2014 and Galle 2015 all over again.

Against South Africa, it was never going to be easy. There was the minor fact that only seven times had a target in excess of 200 been successfully chased on South African soil, but never by an Asian team. South Africa were without the injured Dale Steyn, but still had a fantastic fast-bowling trio in Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander.

What caught India by surprise was how the conditions progressively started to assist swing. There was movement and South Africa's quicks exploited it brilliantly. India's batting is not nearly as bad as the scorecard from Cape Town shows you. In fact, they are better than several touring teams. Yet to survive, and then succeed, against the kind of exemplary spirit that Philander displayed on Monday needed a mettle of a superior kind. Technically and tactically, India came undone. Philander was sublime, and aided by a moment of brilliance from de Kock to get rid of R Ashwin, he finished India off with three wickets in one over after tea. South Africa won by 72 runs, Philander had career-best figures of 6/42 and the visitors are behind 0-1.

For India, it was a fantastic opportunity lost. That familiar tale of a batting line-up worth its weight in gold in familiar conditions being found wanting sorely in bouncy conditions replayed itself. The critics will have their knives out, rightfully so. The chorus of 'flat-track bullies' will play loud. There are positives, in the all-round display of Pandya, inspired bursts from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, and a record ten catches for Saha. But, but, but …

There was no fairytale ending for India at Newlands. Vangelis' iconic soundtrack did not play. This was not an adrenaline-fuelled against-the-odds sports film. It was reality.

For South Africa, this will rank as one of their most famous home wins, coming as it did from the depths of 12/3 on day one and then a collapse of 8/65 on day four. On day one it was AB de Villiers' sparkling counter-attack that had given South Africa hope, and on the fourth it was Philander who made a target of 208 look like 350.

India are ranked No 1 in Tests, but have plenty to do in four days to dispel doubts over their ability to win away from Asia in the most testing of conditions.

