Nagpur Test Preview: With overseas record on the line, South Africa need a batting masterclass against India

In their tours to the subcontinent in 2015, South Africa have so far played four Tests: two in Bangladesh and two in India. Out of the possible 20, there have been only eight days of action. But for Hashim Amla and Co, the two days that were lost in Mohali due to some inept batting would have been more frustrating than the 10 days lost to rain. Now, as Nagpur gets ready to host the third Test of this Freedom series, all the focus is on the mental makeup of the No. 1 Test side in the world and how their batsmen respond. Their famed record of not losing a Test series abroad since 2006 (that’s a stunning run of 15 series away from the comforts of South African soil) is on the line as they prepare to bounce back from the defeat in Mohali and the shambolic collapse in Bengaluru. [caption id=“attachment_2506714” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The result of this match will undoubtedly hinge on how the likes of Amla, AB de Villiers (who continues to defy the narrative of his fellow teammates’ struggles with the bat), Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy respond to said pressure. AFP[/caption] Virat Kohli would have been frustrated with what transpired in the second Test, especially after having South Africa on the mat by taking a gutsy call to make them bat on the first (and only) day of action. But amid the frustration, Shikhar Dhawan’s brief return to form would have pleased him as much as the efforts of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. While Stuart Binny was picked purely based on the overcast conditions in Bengaluru, he’ll almost certainly make way for a third spinner in Nagpur. Perhaps the most intriguing part of India’s selection for the match is to see whether Kohli gives Gurkeerat Singh his debut, having spoken highly about him in the lead up to the second Test. The safer, more obvious choice, would be to bring back Amit Mishra – but safe and obvious are not familiar words in Kohli’s brief reign as captain so far. As is to be expected, India’s captain has been saying the right things about how the morale is high in the camp, and the ‘boys being in the zone’ mentally. But it will be a challenge for him and the management to ensure their is no sense of complacency. Murali Vijay sidestepped questions about the utter dominance India have exerted over South Africa in the four days of play so far, but he did speak about the pressure the visiting batsmen have come under. The result of this match will undoubtedly hinge on how the likes of Amla, AB de Villiers (who continues to defy the narrative of his fellow teammates’ struggles with the bat), Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy respond to said pressure. South Africa, however, will have fond memories of the Vidharbha Cricket Association Stadium, where they recorded one of their more famous wins during the aforementioned dream run abroad. Their win against an injury-hit MS Dhoni team in 2010 was orchestrated by excellent batting from Amla and Jacques Kallis on a slow track, followed by some deadly quick bowling by Dale Steyn. Amla could not have asked for a better venue to remind him just how good a batsman he is on the slow sub-continent wickets. His innings of 253, batting for over 11 hours, was a thing of beauty the last time he played in Nagpur. Coming into this match on the back of some dismal dismissals, Amla would be keen to get back among the runs. It will also be interesting to see if there is a shuffle to the batting order, with Amla shifting to three, de Villiers to four and the struggling du Plessis pushed further down. The other hero from that fond innings victory in 2010 - Steyn, who dismantled India with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings and 10 in the match - continues his rehabilitation from a groin injury suffered in Mohali. Steyn has had a few sessions in the nets and Morne Morkel spoke hopefully about the chances of him featuring in this match, but it will be a late call. The seven-year-old stadium in Nagpur, considered one of the best in the country in terms of the facilities, has hosted four Tests so far. India have won two, lost one against South Africa and drawn one against England. The draw came in 2012 when, despite having four spinners in the side, India could not contain the English batsmen. The pitch in Nagpur will again be under scrutiny, continuing the trend of the pre-match narrative throughout this series. The headline in Indian Express on Tuesday read a “beach of a pitch,” referring to the already dusty nature of the track. Indeed, the four Ranji Trophy matches at the VCA Stadium this season have all aided spin - with the home team’s Akshay Wakare and Aditya Sarwate accounting for wickets in heaps. Three of the four matches resulted in outright wins for Vidharbha and have seen one of their spinners record a five-wicket haul or better in each of the four matches. Come Wednesday, expect the pitch to be no different. The difference, however, needs to come from the wide array of talented strokemakers in both the lineups. That will go a long way in deciding whether India clinch the series in Nagpur or the stunning away record of the South Africans will survive till the final match in Delhi.