Meek India surrender at Centurion

HUMBLED Hype created after nine consecutive series wins comes to naught as India gift series to SA

them, even if it needed volumes of concentration and patience.

As senior partner, it was Rohit’s duty to control the situation and seek to build a partnership. India had three partnerships of fifty and over in this Test, the 79 between Kohli and Murali Vijay being the highest. South Africa had four such stands, with the 141-run second-innings stand between Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers being the highest. Kohli’s century was just not enough to get India back into the Test.

South Africa showed how it’s done -- sticking to basics by knuckling down with the bat and catching everything. Having taller and faster bowlers helped but they too had to adapt to a pitch that they weren’t happy about to start with.

India, on the other hand, will know a seaming, bouncy pitch didn’t end their dream run. Rather it was similar to those on which the nine consecutive series wins had come. Kolkata Centurion 1996-97 2012-13 1922-23 2010-11 1888-89 1961-62

We failed to get a good partnership. We have let ourselves down. The bowlers have done the job but the batsmen have let the team down. We needed 400 in the first innings. But second innings was vital. We kept pushing. We knew anything over 250 would be challenging.

FAF DU PLESSIS, SA skipper BEST BOWLING ON DEBUT FOR SA 9

Won Won Lost Lost Lost Won R Ashwin looked a lone warrior while bowling 68.2 overs, the highest among all India bowlers, at Centurion. This was a pitch that would have made Ravindra Jadeja’s eyes light up. But India went with the routine one spinner, one allrounder and three pacers, consigning Jadeja, who has three Ranji Trophy triple centuries, to jogging around the field during breaks.

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You don’t pull your pace spearhead out of the attack when he has dismissed AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock and has South Africa on the mat at 163/5. Kohli brought in

Hardik Pandya and Ishant Sharma, allowing South Africa to resurrect their innings and reach 258 in the end.

BCCI AFP Hardik Pandya (in pic) got out to a rash shot. Rohit Sharma and Parthiv Patel were out hooking. Cheteshwar Pujara became the first Indian to be run out in both innings. This made Proteas’ job much easier. Centurion 2017-18 Won South Africa’s debutant...