Shamik Chakrabarty in Guwahati
Whose day was it anyway? At stumps, South Africa were 247/6 after winning the toss and batting first on a pitch that at times looked “lifeless”, according to India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. Taking that into account, India would be happier of the two sides after Day 1 of the second Test here in Guwahati. The visitors probably missed a trick by giving Mohammed Siraj an over in fading light with the second new ball. Tony de Zorzi could have resorted to a bit of gamesmanship a la Zak Crawley at Lord’s. Of course, India didn’t mind.
Kuldeep Yadav bowled brilliantly and returned with three wickets. Collectively, the Indian bowlers once again showed that they were capable of putting the opposition under pressure on good pitches. They did it in the home series against England last year and also the five-Test series in Blighty in the summer. A lottery surface in the first Test at Eden Gardens backfired. So, should pitches like the one here at ACA Stadium be India’s template for home Tests?
“It’s a really tough one, and you know, my personal point of view is that the wicket very rarely determines who wins the game,” said ten Doeschate at the post-day press conference. “You know, if we had played better in Kolkata, I feel we could have won the Test on that surface. So, you know, the first thing isn’t to look at the wicket. It’s to look at the quality of cricket that both teams are playing. But having said that, and you know, you have got to introspect and look at recent results.”
The former Netherlands cricketer was game enough to accept the reality. “I think this sort of wickets, you know, maybe do suit us a little bit better. You have got to be prepared to fight really hard and this game is going to go deep. And the only thing I would say is maybe the toss makes it even more important or the toss becomes even more important in these conditions.
“So, if you are going to be prepared to lose the toss, you have to put on a display like that today and, you know, really fight for every run. Make sure you stay in the game. And like I say, at some point the pressure is going to come.”
India have bowlers who can negate the pitch factor – the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep. In two of his three wickets today, the left-arm wrist-spinner deceived the batsmen in the air. It was pure class on display.
“He (Kuldeep) is a wicket-taker and that’s why we are picking (him). Like I said, I thought everyone bowled well. But maybe the fact that he sort of gets overspin, and with the red soil and a little bit more pace in the wicket, maybe it was slightly more effective in the conditions today.”
Kuldeep sat out of all five Tests in England. On home patch, he yet again presented his case; that his selection is non-negotiable.
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