- The Indian cricket team at home is always considered a formidable entity whose walls are almost impregnable and unbreachable for the visiting teams. The arduous task of conquering the heavily spin-friendly conditions, where the low and slow nature of the pitches poses significant challenges, always weighs heavily on the visiting teams, who are accustomed to contrary conditions at home. Of course, cricket connoisseurs, experts, ex-players, and true crazy fans would vouch in unison that the five-day classic format of the game is the real test of any cricketer’s character, skills, resilience, and wherewithal to emerge triumphant amid challenges galore. Test cricket is the ultimate format to test any cricketer’s true worth is stating the obvious.
PC: Mid-day
- With the World Test Championship points at stake, a real contest has been brought into the longest format of the game. Thus, the ongoing two-match Test series between India and South Africa is being watched with great intent, interest, and anticipation. Team India, under the captaincy of Shubhman Gill, was riding high after an intense contest in England resulted in a 2-2 result, when not many gave much credence to the young team to stay afloat. Thus, the first Test in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, had generated lots of soundbites with the home team expected to tame the visitors in no time. What transpired at the famed Eden Gardens is not only shocking but also exposes the brittle batting of Team India at home, playing against quality spin bowlers.
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- Remember, not too long ago, New Zealand had blanked out Team India 3-0 when Indian batters failed to counter the visitors’ spin arsenal more adroitly. Either the Indian batters have not further honed their spin playing abilities, or the visiting teams have sharpened their own skills to take on the might of the challenging playing conditions favouring spin. Team India abjectly folded up against the Proteas speaks volumes about the way the visitors went about their business. India picked up four spinners, including three spin bowling all-rounders, viz. Ravindra Jadeja, AxarPatel, Washington Sundar, and the chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. Unfortunately, despite bowling out South Africa for a paltry 159 runs in the first innings, Team India could only muster 189. A lead of 30 runs.
PC: India Today
- Though the Proteas were bowled out for 153 in the second innings, Team India were bundled out for a mere 93 runs chasing 124 runs in an embarrassing display of batting that must have shocked all concerned. Indeed, the pitch was dry since the watering was not carried out days before the start of the Test. Nonetheless, there were no demons on the pitch was amply demonstrated by the way a few batters showcased their skills. Captain Tenda Bavuma was patience personified in the second innings, notching up an invaluable half-century. KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja showed how to play on an up-and-down pitch with sound technique. The loss in the first Test will be rankling Team India as they head to the second Test in Guwahati.
