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‘Only Tendulkar Played Well Here’ - Donald Issues Advice To IND Batters For Cape Town Test

image-lqtduuyySachin Tendulkar averaged 46.44 in Tests in SA (x.com)

Team India crashed to an innings defeat at Centurion to go 0-1 down in their two-match Test series against South Africa in late December. The visitors, led by Rohit Sharma, folded up for just 245 and 131 inside the first three days of play, with only KL Rahul and Virat Kohli making any notable contributions with the bat.

The ‘Men in Blue’ will now travel to Cape Town for the subsequent series-deciding Test match, set to commence from January 3 onwards. Their torrid Test record at Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground indicates another potential nightmare for Sharma and co., considering Team India has not secured a single victory at the iconic venue in all their six attempts.

Former Proteas speedster Allan Donald recently shared an invaluable advice for the current Indian batters, and also praised all-time great Sachin Tendulkar for his success on tough South African conditions.

Donald praises Sachin Tendulkar for success in SA

Former Proteas fast bowler Allan Donald recently claimed that Sachin Tendulkar was the only cricketer he knew who played well on tough South African conditions. While speaking with the PTI, the cricketer-turned-coach said:

“Only person I know who played us well was Tendulkar, who triggered while batting in South Africa rather than stand on middle-stump. He pressed forward and left the ball amazingly well.”

Compatible with Donald’s claims, Sachin Tendulkar minted 1,161 of his near 16,000 Test runs in South Africa, at an alluring average of 46.44. The cricketer produced five centuries in the country, including his landmark 50th Test ton during the twilight of his illustrious international career.

Donald further shared an invaluable advice for the Indian team. He added that the visitors need to master the art of leaving the ball, and emphasized the importance of surviving the new-ball on the Cape Town surface.

“If you leave the ball well here, you can score runs. You got to get bowlers to come to you and search a little bit more. They start coming to you, the opportunities of scoring get better. It's an interesting phenomenon as it's tough to bat. In Cape Town though, it will be a very good Test pitch. It will flatten out quickly, so you need to work very hard.”

India’s ongoing Test series in South Africa will conclude at Newlands Ground on January 7. The fixtures also constitute a part of the 2023-25 WTC cycle.