Done and dusted inside three days
WINNING WAYS India spinners prove too much for Proteas batsmen, hosts wrap it up in three days
It took just three days for India to remind South Africa where they belong, the visitors failing to exorcise their ghosts playing spin on a rank turner. India’s spinners needed less than two sessions to wrap up the second innings and hand South Africa a 108-run defeat on Saturday.
Ravindra Jadeja made a memorable Test comeback with a careerbest match haul. R Ashwin again bowled with guile while Amit Mishra completed the torment of the visitors, sealing victory with over two days left.
South Africa’s chase of 218 runs was more about showing resistance. They knew a win was out of the equation on a pitch where technique and skills had already been proved redundant. The competitive spark in South Africa’s batting diminished with every wicket. At 45/5 in the 17th over, and with the cream of their batting gone, they were left to ponder whether they could have played in any other way. STICKY WICKET The pitch had turned diabolic on the third morning, and South Africa succumbed to the mental trap spun by spin. Some perished to spin and others to the fear of spin. With indecisive footwork combining with brain freeze, the host spinners didn’t have to do any extra planning.
Despite conceding only a slender first innings lead and then giving themselves what looked like a realistic target of 218, South Africa were not ruled out only because of their showing in the ODI series.
The fear of spin was such that even Hashim Amla exposed his middle stump trying leave Jadeja’s armer. Jadeja replicated his Ranji form, bowling quick, straight and occasionally obtaining massive turn. It was this mix that wreaked havoc. Vernon Philander, surprisingly asked to open, was trapped in front before Amla was bowled.
Ashwin nicely set up Faf du Plessis. Going around the wicket, he floated one with less revs and du Plessis, assuming it will spin more, edged to slip.
Coming in at 10 for three, de Villiers hit two boundaries to suggest a repeat of his first innings knock, only to be undone by his error of judgement. For the second day in a row, Amit Mishra got the better of him. The ball, pitched up, turned just a bit and kept low, taking the inside edge before hitting the stumps. The rest of the batsmen, with hardly any experience of playing in India, fell tamely.
India lost eight wickets in a heap, leg-spinner Imran Tahir and off-spinner Simon Harmer doing the damage.
I don’t think there were any demons in the wicket, the ball did not turn square at any stage, batsmen had to apply themselves but it was a bowlers’ game
VIRAT KOHLI, India skipper brushes aside criticism of the pitch