Ind vs SA, 1st Test: South Africa must overcome their spin fear
“Three days – three or four days out from the first day; it looks dry than a pitch normally looks. That’s all I can say. We are expecting the worst,” Faf du Plessis had said ahead of the Mohali Test.
Du Plessis is one of the better players of spin in this South African team. Also, he has enough experience of playing on turning pitches, thanks to his contract with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. His admitted uncertainty over the Mohali surface didn’t augur well for his team mates. The Saffers came into this game with demons in their head.
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Little wonder then that some of their batters, even top performers like Hashim Amla and Du Plessis himself, got out to straight deliveries on a rank turner. Opener Stiaan van Zyl misread the line of a faster one from Ravi Ashwin in the first innings and was out leg before offering no stroke.
Du Plessis then shouldered arms to a Ravindra Jadeja delivery that held its line. He lost his off stump in the process. In the second innings, Amla inexplicably left a length ball from Jadeja that went on to hit the middle stump. All along, the visitors had been fighting against the fear of excessive spin. They failed to break through the mental block.
“With all due respect 218 to many for SA on this wicket… They might have to bat 2 time to get these,” Harbhajan Singh tweeted as soon as South Africa came out to bat on Saturday.
No touring team has successfully chased a victory target of 200 or above in India since 1987-88. South Africa’s tentativeness meant they never had a chance. They surrendered meekly, losing by 108 runs. The visitors should have taken confidence from their bowling performance instead.
They came back very well to restrict India to 200 in their second essay. At 161/2 and with Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli building a nice partnership, the hosts appeared to have the complete upper hand. But both were dismissed inside seven balls and South Africa were back in the game. India lost eight wickets for 39 runs, Simon Harmer and Imran Tahir taking seven of them.
But there was hardly any optimism in the South African camp. The move to send Vernon Philander as an opener bordered on atrocious. The latter is no mug with the bat as his 25.00 Test average will attest. But promoting him up the order in that situation suggested brain fade. Dean Elgar’s half-hearted shot against fast bowler Varun Aaron confirmed total capitulation. South Africa must overcome their spin fear. Else, India would run away with the series.
To be frank, the hosts should make things more intimidating in the next three matches. Ruthlessness should be the order of the day. Jadeja’s successful return to Test cricket gives India another shot in the arm. He came to Mohali on the heels of 38 wickets in four Ranji Trophy matches. Saurashtra coach Shitanshu Kotak described him as the “most dangerous bowler” on turning tracks. Jadeja lived up to his reputation, bowling flat and straight, and getting a five-for in the second innings. South Africa always looked for that extra bit of turn the left-arm spinner never had.
