Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Big day for SA: India now know they’re in for a fight
SOUTH Africa may yet lose the opening Test match against India but on the third day yesterday they showed the hosts, and most importantly themselves, that sub-continent pitches aren’t necessarily minefields and that they are capable of putting India under pressure.
They will still resume on the fourth day trailing by 117 runs with just two wickets in hand, but they are very much in the contest, something few would have thought possible at the start of play yesterday when they were on 39/3.
It was the senior players who led the way; Dean Elgar with a century in which he found the perfect balance between defence and attack, Quinton de Kock who produced a hundred of great style, and skipper Faf du Plessis who showed excellent composure during a tricky period to form a vital century stand with Elgar. “It was awesome to see the older guys really stand up and unify our batting unit,” said Elgar. “The younger guys will feed off that and it will inspire them to do well for the team.”
Mindset as much as skill mattered for the trio on a day where the forecast rain stayed away from the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. And while the pitch certainly played tricks – Temba Bavuma was the victim of a delivery that kept disconcertingly low – it didn’t play nearly as badly as many had thought. A significant part of that was down to the South African batsmen not allowing themselves to get anxious on every occasion that a ball shot through low or spun passed them.
Elgar, who made a stunning 160, the fifth highest score by a South African player in a Test in India, paid tribute to the work of Amol Muzumdar, the local batting consultant Cricket SA hired to assist the Proteas during the Test series. Muzumdar had worked with a large group of players, including Aiden Markram and Senuran Muthusamy and some provincial and franchise coaches during a ‘spin camp,’ at the end of August before his appointment.
“He’s been brilliant,” said Elgar. “It’s nice to have someone tell you that the wicket is really not that bad, to focus on your mindset, your gameplan. It’s been nice having him around, he’s a refreshing new voice who makes you think a little bit differently about batting in India.”
The most noticeable difference was the aggression with which the South Africans played the Indian spinners. That kind of attitude may come naturally to someone like De Kock, but Elgar adopted it too and it paid rich dividends in an innings of 160, that Elgar described later as “maybe” being the best of his 12 Test hundreds.
While conditions the last time the Proteas played in India had been extreme, the players have tended to see demons on other occasions where there are none. Selectors and coaches too have picked sides for ‘normal’ sub-continent conditions and seen things that simply aren’t there.
The South Africans yesterday played with clear heads and a positive attitude. Elgar and Du Plessis shared a crucial partnership of 115 for the fifth wicket and it was clear by India skipper’s Virat Kohli’s exuberant celebrations after Du Plessis’ dismissal just how anxious India were getting.
But instead of the South Africans folding as they did in 2015, De Kock came out and played in the most gorgeous fashion, producing drives, cuts and flicks to completely turn the tables on the Indians. He and Elgar added 164 for the sixth wicket and a run-rate just shy of four and over.
India’s bowlers started to look tired as the day unfolded and it needed all of Ravichandaran Ashwin’s skill and street-smarts to keep them ahead in the match. The hosts are still the most likely winners, but they will know after yesterday that they are in for a fight in this series and that in itself is a significant step in the right direction for the South African team.