The boys have all gone home, leaving the men back in Colombo to carry on the battle. The first of the big duels is slated for Wednesday with the Indians taking on South Africa in a day-night encounter at the Premadasa Stadium. The anticipation is high, nothing less than an absolute thriller will do and you can bet that the stadium will be packed with drum-toting (as against gun-toting), cricket-crazy supporters.

Yes, the heat will certainly be on and in more ways than one. The sun beats down mercilessly on this island nation, the crowds add to the pressure and the big stage – which the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal most certainly is - will only add to the intensity.

It will thus all boil down to who handles the pressure better. Both teams have been there, done that many times but then the converse also hold true. Both India and South Africa have been known to ‘snatch defeat from the jaws of victory’ and it is this that they will have to guard against.

Team combinations are going to play a crucial role and while it is injuries that are causing concern to the South Africans, for the Indians it is a question of getting the right bowlers to play. Allan Donald, Nicky Boje and Allan Dawson are all fighting to get fit ahead of the semifinal even as Sourav Ganguly ponders on whether he needs to play a third seamer in place of the second spinner.

Ganguly has been quoted – rightly or wrongly - as saying that he is toying with the idea of fielding Ajit Agarkar in the number three batting position in the one-dayers during the home series against the West Indies. That way he feels the side would be really balanced. It may not be a bad idea really, at least it is worth experimenting with. For, while Agarkar has this penchant for ducks, he is not really a bunny with the bat. Also it is not as if Dinesh Mongia (or V V S Laxman for that matter) has been a roaring success at that position and it will also not disturb the lately successful Mohd Kaif from his number seven spot.

The move – why wait for the Windies series - will also open up a lot of bowling options. Agarkar is the ideal third seamer too – at least going by what the Indians have – and so overall it is a risk worth taking and immediately at that. There is a third point too here, Agarkar – and this is the only certain thing about him – is easily a better fielder than Mongia and Laxman put together.

This will also leave India’s spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh together. Neither has been impressive during this tournament even as some of their tribe like New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori and Zimbabwe’s Ray Price have done well, but there is no doubt about their ability. It is only a question of raising the bar a bit when it matters and it must be remembered that the South Africans aren’t the best players of spin.

A lot of the South Africans can bat though and this is their main strength. The depth in their batting is amazing and that is why it is all the more baffling as to how they fail to do more with the bat. Yes, quantity is no match for quality but with people like Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes and Mark Boucher around, it is not as if quality is at a premium here.

Let’s hope we get some quality fare then on Wednesday from both teams.