Monitoring Desk
CENTURION: When the team loses three of its middle-order batsmen in the first hour on the fifth morning chasing 252 more run runs to record a historic win, it pretty much sums up the lack of intent and application in the Indian ranks. And that was the picture on the fifth morning of the second Test between India and South Africa at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. In the end, India folded up for 151 in 50.2 overs as the hosts recorded a 135-run win to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.
Lungi Ngidi (6/39) on debut and Kagiso Rabada (3/47) were the stars for the South Africans on the last day as they sealed the deal for the hosts in just two hours and 16 minutes. The Indian batsmen had no answer to the duo’s disciplined approach on the final morning as they shared 9 wickets between themselves in India’s second essay.
Expected to grind it out and take it session by the session, the Indian batsmen showed no sense of holding ground as they lost wickets one after the other even before variable bounce could make its presence felt on the scoreboard. With skipper Virat Kohli back in the hut on the fourth evening itself, the slim chances India had of winning on the fifth day lay on the shoulders of Cheteshwar Pujara and Parthiv Patel.
The two overnight batsmen needed to be at the crease at least for the first session to harbour hopes of a miraculous win. But it took 16 minutes for South Africa to run out Pujara and with it went any hopes India harboured of chasing history in Centurion. Trying for a non-existent third and chancing AB de Villiers’s arm wasn’t the best thing to do from Pujara and he paid the price as a bullet throw from de Villiers caught Pujara (19) just short of the crease.
That was the start of the end for the visitors. The only resistance came from Rohit Sharma (47 off 74 balls) as he played an ODI-like knock to delay the embarrassment for Kohli and his boys. It was funny to think that Mohammed Shami seemed to be the only other one who was keen to spend some time in the middle with Rohit. The two put on 54 for the 8th wicket which was also the highest partnership of the innings for India.
Not just that, Shami’s score of 28 was the second highest score in the Indian innings behind Rohit, clearly showing the complete lack of application from the Indian middle-order that was disheartening. It finally took a brilliant diving catch from AB de Villiers at fine leg to end Rohit’s innings which then looked as the last over before lunch. But the wicket ensured that play was extended as South Africa needed two more wickets to seal the game. Shami went soon after, dismissed by Ngidi.
More than the losing the series with the loss in the second Test, it is the manner in which the Indian batsmen got out on the final morning that leaves a scar in the hearts of the millions watching and supporting the No. 1 Test team. While Pujara unnecessarily ran himself out, Hardik Pandya tried the upper-cut to a ball from Lungi Ngidi that was not just on the sixth stump, but also way above the head. The end result was a simple catch to Quinton de Kock.
R Ashwin too failed to show the application that saw him score 38 with skipper Kohli for company in the first innings. Flashing outside off when the order of the day was to stand there and give Rohit company, Ashwin (3) gave the easiest of catches to Quinton and once again the bowler was Lungi. Only Parthiv Patel can curse his luck as Morne Morkel took a blinder at fine leg to send back the wicket-keeper for 19.
With Kagiso Rabada trying to bounce out the diminutive keeper, Parthiv decided to go for the pull and while he did not time it completely, Morkel ran some 10 yards before putting in the full stretched drive and held onto that one as the rest of the players rushed in to celebrate. Apart from that, the rest of the dismissals were more about lack of application than anything else.
