The South African cricket team have continued their rotten run of results, being bullied by India in the second Test in Pune.
Virat Kohli has slashed his way to a double hundred against the Proteas’ bowling attack, who have laboured long for little results.
India declared on 5-601, before reducing South Africa to 3-36 at stumps on Day 2.
Earlier, India’s opener Mayank Agarwal scored 108 before being dismissed by Kagiso Rabada, who picked up Rohit Sharma (14) and Cheteshwar Pujara (58) relatively cheaply. The pacer was the only firing South African. Their front-line spinner Keshav Maharaj has been poor thus far in the series, languishing with six wickets and an average of 80. Premier batsman and captain Faf du Plessis has been in indifferent form, too.
South Africa lost the first Test by 203 runs after they were routed by India on Day 5, batting on a poor pitch. The series started awfully for South Africa, with Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal smashing 317 for the first wicket, leading India to a total of 7-502, and the game was lost from there.
In reply, despite Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock both hitting centuries in their first innings to trail only by 70, their bowlers were unable to contain Sharma with 127 from 147 deliveries to go with his 176 from the first innings.
On Day 5, South Africa’s batsmen struggled with the conditions and couldn’t cling on for the draw. Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 11 wickets for the match.
(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
It is never easy to play India in India, but South Africa look doomed to lose their series 3-0. What will count is how they begin their first innings and how they counter Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja’s riddles.
South Africa’s disastrous 2019 World Cup campaign saw them win a mere three matches and lose to Bangladesh, finishing with seven points in seventh place in the group stage to be dumped out of the tournament. This caused the entirety of Ottis Gibson’s coaching staff to be sacked.
A new coaching regime under Enoch Nkwe has been appointed for this tour, but it appears that the team has persisted with their problematic form. The retirements of players Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers will prove difficult to replace.
South Africa drew the T20 series preceding the Tests in India 1-1, which also had a game washed out.
The current ICC rankings have South Africa ranked as third in Tests, fourth in ODIs and third in T20. However, it would not be surprising to see them shift down in the rankings on all fronts in the next few months.
With the start of the ICC Test Championship, no time has been worse for South Africa to begin their plummet. Ironically, the malaise can be traced back to Cape Town in 2018, where Australian players Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were banned for 12 months for ball tampering. South Africa won the series 3-1 after losing the first Test – their first home Test victory against Australia since 1970.
Since this success, the South African team has only known failure and embarrassing Test series defeats. Following the Australian victory, South Africa were whitewashed away 2-0 by Sri Lanka, before famously and humiliatingly being whitewashed again some months later – this time at home 2-0 by the Sri Lankan side, who fought very bravely.
After their tour of India, South Africa’s next assignment will be against England at home, where there will be a four-Test series, a three-game ODI series and a three-game T20 series. This home summer will be the key to their future, as they face a strong World Cup-winning English team – albeit with a slightly confused Test side, fresh from failing to win back the Ashes at home. They will hope their emerging young players begin to perform.
At the moment though, with the second Test already looking unwinnable in India, South Africa must look towards damage control at this stage, to somehow try and save the game and get a result in the third Test with their long-term future in mind.
deepoz
Roar Rookie
Poor pitch!! If you are talking about 2015 series, agree. Fifth day pitch in any country looses a bit of bounce and yields more spin. In fact, best test wicket is expected to spin a bit from 3rd day onwards. Also, the second test at Pune; I am not sure if you watched any footage or not. This has been the best wicket I have seen since 70s in India, in terms of bounce and carry. Indian pace bowlers have so far taken 16/40 wickets with one fifer to Shami. In Pune, out of Protea's 10 first innings wickets, five went to pace bowlers. Indian wickets these days are more balanced than some in Australia, SA, England in that they are either do too much or too little. Indian spinners of course are good when there is some purchase. But Indian team's current success is more due to its pace bowling group of Ishant, Bumrah, Shami, Yadav and one who isn't playing test cricket these days, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar; with a few waiting in the wings. Indian bowling attack these days is perhaps the most balanced of all and dangerous on every type of wicket.
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
South Africa lost the 2nd.Test by an innings and 137 runs. They are not likely to save the 3rd.Test as well. Like West Indies they are also going down the barrel right now.
Arjun
Guest
My comment was not meant to be rude at all. I was just not politically correct as this is a discussion website as you said.
Simoc
Guest
It's unusual to see a South African team so comprehensively flogged as this one has been. They did well in the first test compared to the second. The batsman Bavuma gave quite an interview in stating that he just wasn't up to the challenge at this point in time. Unusual for a bat to say that even though that is nearly always the case as Warner found out in England. Interesting that the Indian quicks are getting among the wickets but Rabada and Philander aren't.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Which comment was rude?
Paul
Roar Guru
The pitches are clearly set up to bat first. Perhaps there's some value in the visiting team being given the choice of what to do instead of relying on winning a coin toss. It would be interesting to see how India went if they had to bat second. They still have very skillful players who would better manage conditions, but it's very different trying to earn a result if batting last on a day 4/5 pitch.
Hari
Roar Rookie
SA is performing better than I expected! They are in transition and have lost the core players in recent past. It will take time to build up and India is no place for the inexperienced unless you are the only novice in the side to tour.
Hari
Roar Rookie
What is a "Rich" pitch Galib?! :laughing:
La grandeur d'Athéna
Roar Rookie
I believe South Africa's bowling is very much Rabada centric. Spin department really lacks quality and in sub continent against sub continental team that is death warrant . Last time Australia visited here, their spinners took our batsmen for a ride. Their pacers were equally effective. This South African bowling attack is miles behind them.
La grandeur d'Athéna
Roar Rookie
I would say that is a very rude comment. You do not come to an international forum and make comments like that. This is a discussion website, not a news portal that he has to be politically correct. Words can mean different thing. If you disagree with something, let it be known in polite manner. Name calling like that is very much unappreciated.
Galib Halilović
Roar Rookie
it looked like an eastern european highway on Day 5.
Nanda
Guest
And this was the wicket where more than 1000 runs were scored and where the Indians were not dismissed in both the innings. Hardly a poor pitch.
Arjun
Guest
"South Africa lost the first Test by 203 runs after they were routed by India on Day 5, batting on a poor pitch." Say what.. Has this dude ever watched a test match in India before? How do you expect a day 5 pitch in Indian conditions to behave..