CAPE TOWN: Before this series began, there was plenty of hope and optimism in the Indian camp. Four days — out of which three saw play — in Cape Town later, they will now head to Centurion, wondering where it all vanished.
India can still turn this series around. It will be too early to write them off despite the hiding in Newlands. But this was a match which they definitely didn’t lose just on the field. The moment they decided on their playing XI, they were always going to be exposed against a side that was waiting to settle scores.If India’s bowlers learned from their mistakes from the first innings — when they let South Africa out of jail — and set up a possible 208 to chase, their batsmen did a lot worse. The pitch on Day 4 had more spice than they batted the first time, but the application they’d built over the last two years at home seemed to have stayed back there.
If Shikhar Dhawan was picked over KL Rahul for the purpose of getting some quick runs — which could have been crucial on this wicket — he showed the exact opposite. On a pitch where most batsmen were undone by deliveries that had their names written on it, Dhawan got out twice courtesy shots he had no business playing in the first place. The southpaw chose to pull – which actually doesn’t exist in his book — not once, but twice.
Then ever-dependable Murali Vijay — rescued twice by DRS — attempted uncharacteristic shots. Being loose around the off-stump isn’t his trait, but a change of guard gave South Africa — especially Vernon Philander — a chance. After being beaten twice in the corridor of uncertainty, Vijay could do nothing about one that pitched around the middle and took his edge on the way to the wicketkeeper. The job was left to the middle-order, amongst whom only Cheteshwar Pujara had the patience and tenacity to not throw away his wicket. But the moment he edged Morne Morkel — despite playing inside the line, late, slight movement undid him — India’s hopes went with him.
That Vijay and Pujara need to shield the middle-order against the new ball didn’t need any further proof. They are the ones who make the job easier for the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane (who didn’t play), and Rohit Sharma. But with two technically-equipped men gone, this was a test of character for the rest. Kohli — having seen AB de Villiers and Hardik Pandya — tried to play shots. The key for those two was going for shots within their range and not playing away from the body. Kohli did the same.
But South Africa — Philander, in particular — were never going allow easy runs with the new ball. The seamer, who ended with career-best innings figures of 6/42, had one constant in five of his dismissals, barring that of Kohli. While he removed the rest by bowling his stock delivery — the outswinger — that pitched on good length, Philander deceived Kohli with an inswinger. “I was just looking to keep him quiet at the beginning. I was actually setting him up for the inswinger, as I knew he was looking for the one that goes away. In the end, I just had to bowl one of the former, and it worked,” Philander said.
At 71/4 and with Kohli gone, it was down to Rohit. On a surface where playing away from the body was a strict no-no, that task had already assumed an air of impossibility. Rohit played a pull and missed. He then played another and was fortunate to not be dismissed as Keshav Maharaj dropped a sitter. Lesson learnt? No. He once again played away from his body. This time, the resultant inside edge splayed the middle-stump as head coach Ravi Shastri watched yet another controversial selection come a cropper. With the top-order back in the hut, the lower-order tried to save some face, at times showing better application. But it was only a matter of time before South Africa would eventually go 1-0 up in the series with a 72-run victory.
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com