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SA vs IND | 1st Test: Relentless pacers, disciplined openers help India breach another fortress

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India made a light work of the final six wickets of South Africa and won the first Test of the series to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

They were always the favourite to win after they set South Africa a stiff target of 305 runs on a pitch offering a lot of variable pace and bounce to the pacers. However, the Proteas skipper Dean Elgar brought all his resistance and fortitude to deny India an easy win on the fourth day of the Test.

Hence, coming into the final day, which was under clouds of uncertainty due to a heavy chance of rain and thunderstorm, they would have had marked Elgar as their threat number one. They would have wanted to remove him and also Temba Bavuma as early as possible to not leave anything to chance considering the bad weather predicted in the latter half of the day. 

The start was not so good though as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami created opportunities but could not grab them completely. Shami dropped a simple catch off Elgar of his own bowling while various play and misses eluded Bumrah of that prized wicket.

Runs started flowing for South Africa as pacers' eagerness to bowl fuller length provided South Africans scoring opportunities. Having seen Elgar getting comfortable with over the wicket angle and most importantly, the narrowing gap between the required number of runs, Bumrah switched to round the wicket angle and produced yet another big wicket just when things were looking a bit tougher for India. He has been an on-demand service delivery pacer for India and there was no stopping of his heroics on the final day of this Test.

After Elgar’s departure, Temba Bavuma was the only prominent thorn in India’s flesh and while he carried on his resilient way from the first innings, there was enough callousness from Quinton de Kock at the other end to keep Indian pacers, especially Mohammad Siraj interested. The pacer troubled him around off stump with the back of length deliveries and he committed all the mistakes he could do to keep India in the game.

Another chopped on to his wickets ended de Kock’s stay at the crease and his opportunity in the series as he would be leaving the camp on his paternity leave. 

Mohammad Shami recovered quickly from his misses in the first hour of the day and found the perfect line and length to dismiss Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen.

Jansen’s wicket brought India to touching distance of another fortress-breaching win and Kohli used the principle of horses for courses to perfect effect with Ravichandran Ashwin against Kagiso Rabada. The left-hander played some crisp shots in the first innings off Ashwin and India would’ve been aware of his eagerness to drive off-spinners from the crease. 

Ashwin threw the bait and Rabada took the challenge but only to spoon a dolly to Mohammad Shami, who was more than ready to not repeat another drop catch. Lungi Ngidi was no match to Ashwin’s bounce and inside-edged to Cheteshwar Pujara and gave India an exhilarating win to finish off one of the finest years they have had in their history of playing the longest format.

KL Rahul was adjudged Man of the Match for a splendid hundred in the first innings of the game that laid the platform for a big score for India which Kohli rated the “difference” between the sides.

The second Test of the series will be played at the Wanderers Stadium, in Johannesburg from January 03.

 

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