South Africa drew first blood in the three-match series against India by recording a 72-run win on the fourth day of the first Test at Newlands on Monday. The hosts were bowled out for 130 in their second innings, thereby setting India a target of only 208 to win the match.
However, South Africa’s fast bowlers, led by Vernon Philander, blasted through India’s batting line-up in the second innings, as the visitors were bowled out for 135. India’s bowlers did well, taking 20 wickets and really troubling the South African batters. However, the tourists’ batsmen let them down in both innings, but for a whirlwind 93 from all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the first essay.
This was only India’s second Test defeat since the beginning of 2017. However, after an elongated home season, but for a trip to Sri Lanka, this was the first real overseas challenge Virat Kohli’s team have taken on since visiting Australia in 2014.
India have also never won a Test series in South Africa and the defeat in Cape Town did not help correct that record. As usual, the Indian press had a field day dissecting the defeat on Monday.
Here is a collection of headlines from leading dailies.
The award for the best headline has to go to The Indian Express. The headline was punny but not obnoxious and came across as rather smart.
“India’s batsmen will have to live with the tag of ‘backyard bullies’ for some more time,” wrote Sandeep Dwivedi in the report. “At Newlands, the bowlers bowled their hearts out, but the batsmen failed to show a spine.”
Another good headline was found in The Tribune, which ran a Reuters report along with it. “India seemed to have seized control of the Test when they bowled South Africa out for 130 in the morning session, but found the home attack on the seamer-friendly wicket too much of a challenge,” the report said.
The Times of India chose to highlight how India’s batsmen were helpless against South African pacer Vernon Philander, who took six wickets in the second innings including the all-important one of Kohli.
“The furore that collectively raised the decibel levels at the Newlands in the 22nd over of India’s innings was higher than any heard here over the last four days,” began K Shriniwas Rao’s report from Cape Town. “It came on the fourth ball, to be precise. Vernon Philander, that hurtful Capetonian, sly with his swing, getting to move the ball away and in, trapped Virat Kohli.”
The Hindustan Times went with a rather straight headline compared with the rest. “Just three days of play produced an absorbing result, made possible by quality second-innings bowling from both sides and an insipid batting performance from India,” wrote Somshuvra Laha. “The visitors didn’t manage a fifty, apart from Hardik Pandya’s brave 93, in this Test.”
Mumbai Mirror’s headline was directed towards India’s strategy of preparing seaming wickets during their home Test series against Sri Lanka prior to the South Africa tour. After cancelling a practice match in South Africa ahead of the Test series, Virat Kohli and Co chose to test themselves against a team ranked sixth in the world.
Vijay Tagore’s report, however, did not even mention the Sri Lanka series. Instead, it criticised India’s inability to chase down a modest-looking target of 208, even using the c-word.
“You don’t end up losing a Test after your bowlers dismiss the opposition for 130 in the second innings and set up a 208 run target for you,” Tagore wrote. “It was choking, untypically, against South Africa.”
The Telegraph’s headline and report supporting it was a tad dramatic with the ‘war’ analogy being drawn. Even though the Cape Town Test had its moments, the proceedings and tempers were not nearly as hostile to be tagged as a war.
Lokendra Pratapsahi, however, thought otherwise.
“Newlands witnessed an all-out three-day war, with a forced day of truce owing to poor weather,” he wrote. “At the end of it, on Monday, India found themselves on the casualty board. Not that Virat Kohli and his troops didn’t have many moments, but when the big guns were required to boom and boom, blanks were fired.”
Mid-day also criticised India’s batting implosion in Cape Town, with Anand Vasu writing that “a bit of patience, a touch of class and the ability to stay humble and adapt to conditions would have gone a long way” for Virat Kohli’s men.
Leave it to the Hindi dailies to print the most dramatic headlines. Navbharat Times’ headline loosely translates into “Batsmen waste bowlers’ earnings” but it has nowhere near the same ring as it does in Hindi.
Their report loosely translates into: “In front of the Vernon Philander-led invasion, the Indian batsmen were disgraceful in the second innings and suffered a 72-run defeat on the fourth day. Indian bowlers had decorated the stage of victory for the team but the batsmen decided not to go. India had a target of 208 runs, but their entire team got bowled out for 135 runs in 42.4 overs.”
“Batsmen’s flop show,” read Amar Ujala’s headline, with the report saying, “After creating history on home grounds last year, the world No 1 Virat Brigade lost in its first test of the new year. The Indian bowlers had raised hopes momentarily but the win remained a mirage after the flop show of their superstar batsmen.”
Dainik Bhaskar, meanwhile, decided to tell the entire fourth day’s story via the headline, which read, “In 64 overs of play, 200 runs were scored at the cost of 18 wickets, Team India lose by 72 runs”.