Daijiworld Media Network
Mohali, Nov 6 : Hello and warm welcome to what promises to be an exciting day of Test cricket. A lot has been spoken about the pitch, which is already very abrasive and we are only into the second day of the Test match. There is enough in it for the spinners and every now and then, the ball is misbehaving as well. 'I don't think it is a very good cricket wicket. It is my personal opinion,' said Dean Elgar, who registered his career-best figures in Tests. Elgar also went on to say that it appears to be a fourth day pitch.
'It looks like 201 on the board, but it is actually worth far more than 201,' opined India's batting coach, Sanjay Bangar. With the way the Indian spinners were making the ball talk, it certainly seems more than 201. Having bowled out India in just 68 overs yesterday, the Proteas must have entertained thoughts of a decent beginning and capitalising later on, but Virat Kohli's spinners were extremely disciplined and made life difficult for the visitors. The scoreboard says it all. Not too often do you see South Africa post just 28 runs in 20 overs.
Going into the 2nd day, it's an uphill task for Kohli's men. They have started well but South Africa bat deep. There is Amla at the crease and Superman AB de Villiers - is yet to come. The beauty of Test cricket is that two bad sessions do not decide the fate of the match. The match hangs in a position where both teams have enough reasons to take a cue out of the above statement. So that's it from us then on Day 1. Tomorrow promises to be an exciting day. Looking forward to your company then. Take care, goodbye!
Talking about the Proteas bowling, it was top notch. The sign of a top class team is that even when the leader of the attack does not provide breakthroughs, someone from the ranks steps up. The pitch was not of Steyn and Philander's liking but the visitors found an unlikely hero in Dean Elgar. Amla's move to introduce Elgar before Tahir proved to be a masterstroke. It was so un-South African to see a part-time spinner bowling in the first session of the match. Philander did get some reverse swing in the last session and optimized it by prising out Jadeja before he could inflict any pain. A special mention must go to debutant Kagiso Rabada who bowled with the same heart with which he had in the ODIs and T20Is. He looked like getting wickets more often than not. The only problem was the no balls which one is sure would get ironed out as he gets into the Test groove. Often a pacer, trying to generate something extra from a depleted track oversteps.
Maybe the hosts focussed more on Steyn and Philander and did not do enough homework on others. Of all the tactics deployed by captain Kohli, sending Amit Mishra ahead of R Ashwin was the most baffling one. When most of the top batsmen were struggling against Elgar, he decided to attack him and failed miserably. Things would have been graver for India had Rabada not overstepped when he trapped Ashwin in front. Jadeja is coming back into the side after playing some domestic cricket and he looked comfortable against the spinners. The saving grace for India was Murali Vijay, who once again showed how he has matured in the past one year as an opener. After Shikhar Dhawan awfully departed without troubling the scorers, the task was left to him. He, along with Pujara, weathered the storm for a while. But the monk lost his focus due to the flurry of wickets at the other end.
India might have ended the day with some respite, but earlier in the morning, the batting let them down. The hype created around the pitch blurred the fact that South Africa possess some quality bowlers in the attack who are capable of running through the opposition, irrespective of the track they operate on. However, India would rue the fact that they gave wickets to Dean Elgar, who was introduced as a part-timer. Both Pujara and Rahane got dismissed after getting their eyes in. Something which does not make the task easy for a team which had one batsman less against a quality attack. Captain Kohli failed on his birthday and the look on his face was indicative of how gutted he felt after Elgar took the catch off Rabada.
Stumps, Day 1: After they had been put in the driving seat by their bowlers, South Africa's hopes to tighten the noose further on India were foiled by some impeccable bowling from the hosts. Sensing that the pitch had enough for the spinners, Kohli gave the new ball to Ashwin who did not disappoint as he prised out Stiaan van Zyl. The icing on the cake was provided by Jadeja, who carried his form from the domestic circuit and sent back a clueless du Plessis, who perished after he left a delivery which came in with the arm to disturb the furniture. During the dying moments of the day even Amit Mishra bowled with greater guile and variations and on a couple of occasions was only a coat of paint away from clipping the off stump of Amla.