Resuming to bat with overnight score of 5/255 the Indian
batting collapsed for 280 all out.
The bowlers for South Africa were relieved a lot as the last
recognized batting pair of MS Dhoni and
Ajinkya Rahane hardly managed to
disturb the scoreboard.
Vernon Philander scalped four wickets in the process and was
the most destructive.
South Africa started cautiously with Graeme Smith and Alviro
Peterson at the crease as the opening pair. Duo dodged the
opening spell and were looking quite comfortable until Alviro Peterson was out.
Hashim Amla came to the crease to join company with his
skipper, then Graeme Smith was dropped in the slips by Ashwin off Zaheer Khan.
It looked to be a costly miss, as the runs started to flow for South Africa.
Until Ishant Sharma with his decisive in-swingers removed
Hashim Amla clean bowled offering no shot and trapping Jacques Kallis at the
crease, and then Smith was trapped leg before by Zaheer Khan.
South Africa was 2/130 and soon collapsed to 6/146 until
Philander and Du Plesis offered some late resistance to Indian onslaught with
the ball.
Mohammed Shami took the fifth and the sixth wickets for
India in the same over to send back, JP Duminy and AB Devilliers with some good
bowling.
Though initially South Africa looked to bat comfortably
against Indian bowlers, but soon was exposed to a fine display of rare pace
bowling from the Indian trio.
Though Ashwin bowled a few overs but it was the pace battery
of India that did most of the job on the second day.
Pitch offered variable bounce through out the day, with many
balls keeping low and should have affected the batsmen’s reading of the pitch
bounce and pace.
Hashim Amla might have expected the ball to bounce over the
wicket but the ball nipped in sharply without the bounce the batsman was
expecting.
These are the indications that Indian batsmen should keep in
mind and try to play forward instead of staying back at the crease.
The feet movement and the ability to leave the ball out side
of off, ability to duck well directed bouncers and ability to resist the temptation
to drive the ball through covers should help the batsmen. And shots on the rise
when the ball is in the air and seaming should be resisted by the batsmen.
In the conditions like in South Africa the ball does a lot
on the pitch as well in the air.
Batsmen should concentrate hard to give India a chance in
this crucial Test match of the series.
One thing the South Africa batsmen did good was ducking the
well directed bouncers, they played them well and that is one of differences
the India batsmen should concentrate on ahead in the second innings.
How long the South African tail will wag will be interesting
to see.
Valleyz.Blog
