Ravindra Jadeja bustled in and delivered an innocuous, straight delivery to South African captain Hashim Amla. To a ball pitching on off stump and zoning in on middle, Amla shouldered arms, only to see the ball smash into his middle stump. This one moment in a nutshell encapsulated the extent to which the Mohali surface had got into the minds of the South African batsmen.
Despite an Indian collapse in their second innings, they had got enough. Whatever little hopes South Africa might have had of chasing 218 were swiftly extinguished once they slumped to 10/3. The rest was a formality as Ravindra Jadeja nipped out five wickets to trundle the visitors out for 109, giving India a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
Here are the five main takeaways from the first Test.
1. South Africa can’t play spin
It was generally expected that South Africa would struggle against high-quality spin bowling but the sheer extent of their struggle is enough to deduce what kind of tracks the curators will be asked to serve up in the forthcoming Test matches. Sure, it was a difficult pitch to bat on, but it was not much different from the surfaces that were used to welcome overseas teams earlier. Not one South African batsman, even Amla and de Villiers, seemed to display proper technique to play the turning ball, either preferring to hang back in their crease or choosing to hit out. Ravinchandran Ashwin, Jadeja and Amit Mishra had spun such a web that most of the hapless South Africans were ironically dismissed by deliveries which did not turn as much as they expected.
2. ...and nor can India
While Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra were easily the superior spin attack among the two sides, India still lost 15 of their 20 wickets to the “fearsome” trio of Dean Elgar, Imran Tahir and Simon Harmer. In both the innings, India collapsed after a good start, leading to uncomfortable questions about the middle order. Perhaps, it’s time to relook the five bowler theory and play the extra batsman, especially if conditions are similar in the forthcoming Test matches.
3. It’s all in the mind, silly
Questions about the pitch will obviously arise if a Test match gets over in eight and a half sessions, but let’s settle the debate: this was categorically not a minefield. Sure, the pitch was dusty, there were cracks, but it was not a pitch where the ball was taking off and doing ridiculous things. Unfortunately, South Africa’s batsmen were so obsessed about the pitch that it started messing with their minds. Four of their dismissals came about when they were leaving the ball, expecting the ball to turn, only for the ball to come on straight. It is perhaps symptomatic of a larger problem – while batsmen are being trained to play pace, seam and swing the world over, there is not enough emphasis given on playing spin properly.
4. The Ashwin-Jadeja combination is gold
While realms have already been written about Ashwin and his stupendous recent form, it was Ravindra Jadeja’s contribution that was probably the most pleasing sight for the selectors. After being dropped, Jadeja was brought back into the Test team on the back of some strong domestic form. And he backed up the selectors’ confidence in him big time, first by scoring a vital 38 on a difficult pitch and then picking up a wicket in only his second ball of the match. What was great to see was that it was a return of the old Jadeja – instead of relying on his usual darts, he varied his line and length and bowled extremely intelligently to finish with a match haul of eight wickets.
5. Murali Vijay, the “Monk”
Murali Vijay is nicknamed the “Monk’ for his concentration abilities and in a bowler-dominated Test, his gritty batting deserves to be remembered. In the first innings, Vijay scored a typically resilient 75, stitching together an important partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara. The value of that partnership was further underlined by the way India collapsed, following their dismissals. Vijay displayed similar toughness in the second innings on his way to 47, ensuring that Dhawan’s early loss would not affect India. In a match comprising players of the calibre of Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, it would be not an understatement to say that he, along with Pujara, looked the best batsman on view.
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Despite an Indian collapse in their second innings, they had got enough. Whatever little hopes South Africa might have had of chasing 218 were swiftly extinguished once they slumped to 10/3. The rest was a formality as Ravindra Jadeja nipped out five wickets to trundle the visitors out for 109, giving India a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
Here are the five main takeaways from the first Test.
1. South Africa can’t play spin
It was generally expected that South Africa would struggle against high-quality spin bowling but the sheer extent of their struggle is enough to deduce what kind of tracks the curators will be asked to serve up in the forthcoming Test matches. Sure, it was a difficult pitch to bat on, but it was not much different from the surfaces that were used to welcome overseas teams earlier. Not one South African batsman, even Amla and de Villiers, seemed to display proper technique to play the turning ball, either preferring to hang back in their crease or choosing to hit out. Ravinchandran Ashwin, Jadeja and Amit Mishra had spun such a web that most of the hapless South Africans were ironically dismissed by deliveries which did not turn as much as they expected.
2. ...and nor can India
While Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra were easily the superior spin attack among the two sides, India still lost 15 of their 20 wickets to the “fearsome” trio of Dean Elgar, Imran Tahir and Simon Harmer. In both the innings, India collapsed after a good start, leading to uncomfortable questions about the middle order. Perhaps, it’s time to relook the five bowler theory and play the extra batsman, especially if conditions are similar in the forthcoming Test matches.
3. It’s all in the mind, silly
Questions about the pitch will obviously arise if a Test match gets over in eight and a half sessions, but let’s settle the debate: this was categorically not a minefield. Sure, the pitch was dusty, there were cracks, but it was not a pitch where the ball was taking off and doing ridiculous things. Unfortunately, South Africa’s batsmen were so obsessed about the pitch that it started messing with their minds. Four of their dismissals came about when they were leaving the ball, expecting the ball to turn, only for the ball to come on straight. It is perhaps symptomatic of a larger problem – while batsmen are being trained to play pace, seam and swing the world over, there is not enough emphasis given on playing spin properly.
4. The Ashwin-Jadeja combination is gold
While realms have already been written about Ashwin and his stupendous recent form, it was Ravindra Jadeja’s contribution that was probably the most pleasing sight for the selectors. After being dropped, Jadeja was brought back into the Test team on the back of some strong domestic form. And he backed up the selectors’ confidence in him big time, first by scoring a vital 38 on a difficult pitch and then picking up a wicket in only his second ball of the match. What was great to see was that it was a return of the old Jadeja – instead of relying on his usual darts, he varied his line and length and bowled extremely intelligently to finish with a match haul of eight wickets.
5. Murali Vijay, the “Monk”
Murali Vijay is nicknamed the “Monk’ for his concentration abilities and in a bowler-dominated Test, his gritty batting deserves to be remembered. In the first innings, Vijay scored a typically resilient 75, stitching together an important partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara. The value of that partnership was further underlined by the way India collapsed, following their dismissals. Vijay displayed similar toughness in the second innings on his way to 47, ensuring that Dhawan’s early loss would not affect India. In a match comprising players of the calibre of Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, it would be not an understatement to say that he, along with Pujara, looked the best batsman on view.
