Are the bowlers really that great? Are the batters really this poor? Is the pitch unplayable? What explains 23 wickets on a single day, the highest in 50 years? A mix of all of the above? Will it be a two-day Test match? While we can discuss each of these issues till the cows come home, lets digress a little and ask a very different question. Had this played out on an Indian pitch, with the spinners picking up the bulk of the wickets, what would be the narrative now?
Rank turner, underprepared wicket, substandard pitch – you can keep recycling those tired, old phrases. The truth is that the curator and the staging association would have been shredded to bits, and India accused of doctoring the pitch and damaging Test cricket. Hypocrisy would take centrestage and credit denied where it is due. In South Africa, however, nothing of the sort would happen. No one will accuse the curator. Rather, the batters are the ones who are to blame and the faster bowlers are all exceptional.
The truth is that Test-batting standards around the world have fallen. Virat Kohli is an exception to the rule. Consistency and technique – the likes of Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Kane Williamson are no longer the norm. Most batters now aren’t good enough to play either quality spin or quality pace. One-off innings, yes, but to be able to score consistently in difficult batting conditions is perhaps beyond the skillset of modern batsmen.
And that’s where the hypocrisy needs to be called out. If South Africa can prepare tracks where 23 wickets fall on day one or tracks where a Test match gets over in three days, there is no harm whatsoever in India preparing wickets that suit their bowlers when England tour the country in 15 days from now. You play to your strengths,,and that should be the norm. That’s home advantage. No one should have a problem and not one word should be said about the wicket that’s on offer.
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IND vs SA | Day 1 Stumps: Live Discussion https://t.co/FPLv0dH1B0
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 3, 2024
In difficult batting conditions, it is about application. Be it against quality pace or quality spin. And that’s where Kohli’s innings should be part of a batting manual. The moment he came to the crease, Burger tried to get under his skin. Soon after Kohli played the first ball, Burger acted as if he was ready to hurl the ball back at Virat. It was followed by a glare, and the bowler was just a few feet away from the batter when he finally decided to turn back. Kohli’s gaze followed the bowler back and the next ball prompted a rare false shot. Burger was the moral winner,,and that was all that Kohli needed to tighten up. A fantastic straight drive followed, and in the very next over, out came his traditional cover drive. It was batting at its best on a difficult pitch. He eventually got out when things fell apart at the other end. Clearly, his concentration had been impacted. But then, his 46 could still have a telling impact on the game. It is this level of batsmanship that’s missing. South Africa have lacked application as well. Three wickets down in the second innings, after 55 all out, is proof. In all likelihood, the match will get over in two days and attention will be focussed on the pitch. While some will try to ask tough questions, most will blame the batters for lack of application. So, if South Africa can produce wickets like these and ask questions of Indian batters, there shouldn’t be any problem whatsoever if India produces turners to help their spinners. You need to have a Root or a Kohli in your ranks to overcome conditions, and it is time we stop blaming subcontinental pitches while asking questions of our batters if they fail in South Africa or England.
It’s time to accept that batting as a skill is on the wane globally. With Test cricket no longer the format of choice for most, it is expected to happen more and more in the months to come. A year or two from now, 23 wickets in a day will no longer be an aberration. Rather, in testing conditions, such things would become the norm. Only if it happens in the sub-continent is the pitch to blame. Elsewhere, the batters will always be in the firing line.
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