India vs South Africa: Proteas need right mix of caution and aggression on difficult pitch to gain lead

It’s proving to be a bowler’s Test series. On a lively Wanderers wicket, the Proteas pacers ruled the roost as they bundled out India for 187. Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat but soon found his team in early trouble at 13/2 after Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander sent back Murali Vijay and KL Rahul respectively. [caption id=“attachment_4318339” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File picture of AB de Villiers. Reuters[/caption] Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli then got together and steadied the ship. It’s wasn’t easy as the South African pacers were breathing fire. There was pace, bounce and considerable seam movement. Pujara and Kohli showed grit and determination as they added 84 runs. However, luck was a crucial factor in India’s side as Kohli was dropped twice while the two batsmen were beaten multiple times. Pujara took 54 balls to get off the mark, however what took the pressure off his back was the fact that Kohli was busy at the other end. Indian skipper kept the scoreboard ticking and then Pujara got into the groove to play some shots. There was a good mix of caution and aggression. The partnership was finally broken by Lungi Ngidi when he had Kohli caught in slips. Rahane’s luck didn’t last long as after being caught behind off a no ball, he was trapped in front by Morne Morkel. Parthiv Patel and Pujara stitched together a 31-run stand before Pujara was dismissed. It went downhill from then as some poor shot-selection from Parthiv and Hardik Pandya pegged India on the backfoot. They were finally bowled out for 187 with Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipping in with 30 crucial runs. South Africa needed to see off a tricky period at the fag end of the day but they lost Aiden Markram early. Bhuvneshwar bowled an almost unplayable spell. And these signs are ominous. Pujara, in the post match interview, said that the pitch might get more difficult for batting. And this is where the Proteas will need to bat sensibly. They need someone to emulate Kohli-Pujara stand. De Villiers and Elgar did that well in the second innings of the Centurion Test. Nightwatchman Rabada would look to add crucial runs. It will be unrelenting pressure from India too as they have gone for an all-out pace attack. For the Proteas, someone would need to hold the anchor at one end and bring calm and the other would need to keep the scoreboard ticking. They need to make sure that they don’t become overcautious and go into a shell. A good mix of caution and aggression is the key. This will be the time when Hashim Amla, who has had an average series by his standards, to step up and deliver. Quinton de Kock needs to strike form. Du Plessis and De Villiers definitely hold the key, but  a complete batting effort is the need of the hour. Another cracking day of Test cricket awaits us.