India fall into the pit they dug for South Africa, lose first Test

There is an old adage which goes, “You reap what you sow”. Perhaps India may have felt that on Sunday when South Africa effected a remarkable turnaround to win the first Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata and take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

The pitch was tailormade for South Africa, the World Test Championship winners, to fail but it was India who fell in the pit.

The win was their first in India in 15 years and it proved that India cannot think of employing the old strategy of dishing out spin-friendly surfaces and hope to walk away with the games.

The other teams, especially New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, are well-prepared and have among them spinners who can use the conditions better than the Indian spinners. 

South Africa had resumed their innings on Day 3 at 93/7, just 63 ahead. Rishabh Pant, who had led the team well in the absence of Shubman Gill on Day 2, opened Day 3 with Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.

While commentators like Ravi Shastri criticised this move and thought Pant should have begun with Bumrah instead of Axar, one can understand Pant’s decision. He went with the nature of the pitch.

The overnight pair of Temba Bavuma and Corbin Bosch added 42 more to the overnight total. Bumrah was brought in the day’s ninth over and broke the overnight partnership on the first ball of his third over, innings' 13th, bowling Bosch (25). He too had to work hard and had to be taken off as the Proteas, led by Bavuma (55 not out) showed great character.

They were all out for 153 with Mohammed Siraj taking the last two wickets but the 60 runs they got on the third morning gave them a chance to have a shot at victory. Bavuma looked very composed and on top of the ball. There was not a single delivery that troubled him and to be fair, his knock was the innings of the match.

Chasing a 124-run target, India lost aggressive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over bowled by Marco Jansen and then saw KL Rahul walk back after edging a snorter to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreyne. India were two down for one run and in fact effectively they were three down for a run as Shubman Gill was still in the hospital being nursed for his neck niggle. He was not going to bat, it was already announced.

Post-lunch, India had a mini partnership between Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar.

But Jurel fell with the score on 33, caught in the deep offf a short ball from Simon Harmer. Pant was picked, caught and bowled, by Harmer and though Ravindra Jadeja tried hard adding 26 with Sundar, his wicket brought in a flurry of wickets.

India folded for 93.

The Indian team management’s decision to have Sundar at the pivotal No. 3 needs to be questioned. While he looked solid he doesn’t seem to have the game to work the ball around for singles.

With him at No. 3 and Jurel, a wicketkeeper batsman, at No. 4 in Gill’s absence, it was going to be a difficult time. Proteas offie Simon Harmer got the Player of the Match Award for his 4/30 in first innings and 4/21 in second innings.   

Tags : Simon Harmer, South Africa, India, cricket, Eden Gardens, Kolkata