WORLD NO:1 TEAM SOUTHAFRICA IN A VERGE OF LOOSING SERIES

India wrested control of the third Test in Nagpur on day two thanks mainly to the demons playing inside South Africa's head against spin. On a day that saw a stunning collapse - with South Africa finishing with their lowest total against India - the hosts not only gained a sizable first innings lead on Thursday (November 26), but also scored quickly to set South Africa a target of 310. To cap things off, they then prised out two wickets late in the day.

While the pitch wasn't conducive to high scores, it certainly was one where runs could be made without physical danger. It also highlighted the stark difference between the two sides with regards to the turning ball. India were better in applying constant pressure through Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja with the ball, while the likes of JP Duminy and Simon Harmer gave away enough loose balls to let India off. In the circumstances, Morne Morkel continued to impress just as he did yesterday to be the standout fast bowler, resorting to reverse swing and off-cutters to dent India. Imran Tahir, who was inexplicably brought on only after India's overall lead went past 200, induced a rash of attacking shots from the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha to pick up a five-for that curtailed the innings to under 50 overs.

But the story of the day was definitely, South Africa's shocking collapse in the first session. That the spinners picked up all ten wickets was no surprise with Ashwin finishing with yet another five-wicket haul - his 14th in Tests - and his effort in tandem with Jadeja early in the day was another exercise of India's successful spin plan.

The tone was set from the first ball of the day. Dean Elgar playing and missing Ashwin's off-breaks played on a loop for the first four balls. The first time was excusable, the second was eyebrow raising, the third was a laugh, the fourth was a sigh and the fifth ball was inevitable. Elgar simply had neither the technical nous nor the inclination to try anything different. When Ashwin finally switched from offies to a quicker, straight one outside off, Elgar went for a half-hearted cut with feet going nowhere. The ball crashed onto the stumps off the inside edge. With the early initiative seized, South Africa slipped from a bad to worse position with alarming quickness.

 

It was the ideal scenario for Ashwin and Jadeja to revel. Hashim Amla preferred to walk after edging an attempted sweep. AB de Villiers was surprised by the extra bounce and turn that Jadeja procured and spooned it back while trying to work it against the turn; both batsmen were looking to get some runs but the problem lay in the execution.

It was a factor that haunted Faf du Plessis as well, but he could well claim to have been done in by the pitch. Jadeja was turning almost everything square barring the one that du Plessis attempted to loft with the spin. To his misfortune, it didn't and the stumps were rattled again.



Dane Vilas had no answer to a very fast, ripping spinner from Jadeja while Harmer's attempt to experiment was cut short deftly by Ashwin. Seeing that he was trying to reverse sweep, Ashwin slipped in his now-rare variation, the carrom ball. Harmer didn't pick it and was bowled between his legs, adding to South Africa's embarrassment.

All through this, Duminy stood out simply because he was skillful with his feet. Not that he wasn't challenged, however. Ashwin's battle against him was particularly engaging. Had Virat Kohli not dropped a sitter at gully, Ashwin would have won that battle earlier but credit to Duminy for sticking it out. His first run of the day came when he stepped down the track to tap a single. Twice he managed to step down and loft the spinners for sixes. Clearly there were runs to be made. But square turners often put a question mark in the head of batsmen who are not confident of using their feet or fully trusting of their defence. This was not a factor isolated to South Africa. India were guilty of the same but they were marginally better in attempting them right to the end. They were also helped greatly by Tahir's full tosses and Duminy's half-trackers which gave them respite in the form of boundaries. It shed light on the importance of Ashwin and Jadeja's tight bowling as much as anything.

The pitch could only be faulted for not conforming to the pre-instilled notions of how it should behave. This was still a game that saw a pacer like Morkel adapt exceptionally well to get wickets and ultimately the scorecard reflected perfectly why India looked well set to end South Africa's nine-year unbeaten streak away from home.

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written by ~ CHARITHARDHA