Allan Donald (Twitter)
Allan Donald was honest in his assessment of Indian speedsters and their struggles to exploit a difficult batting surface to a similar degree as their South African counterparts during the Boxing Day Test in Centurion and offered a word of advice for them ahead of Cape Town Test.
The former Proteas spearhead and one of the finest-ever pacers to have played the game said since the track in Newlands tend to play flatter than the one at the SuperSports Park in his understanding and experience, the touring seamers will have to showcase more creativity and patience in their plans.
Donald's advice to Indian pacers came in wake of their inability to hit the right lengths consistently after the track had eased out on Day 2 & Day 3 in Centurion, where the visitors suffered an innings & 32-run defeat after conceding a mammoth 408 in the first half either side of the disappointing 245 & 131 all out of their own.
Donald Offers Advice To Indian Pacers
Speaking to PTI, Donald believed Jasprit Bumrah and rest could've been more creative in their plans once the hosts had gotten the better conditions to bowl in on Day 1 when the rain and gloomy, moist setting spiced up the surface and gave Proteas seamers, including the unplayable Kagiso Rabada, extra pace and disconcerting bounce against Indian batters.
The Proteas great said by no means the Rohit Sharma-led side should expect a dry surface which could bring premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin into play but the track is likely to play better for batting than the one in Centurion did, with the emphasis on new-ball wickets critical for both teams.
"You need to be more creative in Cape Town as wickets are a lot more flatter and partnerships will stretch and that's traditionally as someone who knows it will be tougher Tests," Donald said.
"The massive emphasis is on the new ball because traditionally if there's a South westerly wind blowing across Newlands, then you know that is going to dry the pitch up. But not in any way or form I think the pitch will turn," he added.
Donald's advice would come in handy if India are to level the marquee series by winning the New Year's Test in Cape Town, starting January 3.
