India vs South Africa: 2nd Test, Day One - Spinners and Openers put India in command
Virat Kohli's decision to field was vindicated as India's spinners bundled South Africa out for 214 before the openers consolidated to put the hosts in pole position after day one of the second Test in Bangalore. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets apiece, while Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan stayed unbeaten as India finished on 80/0.
After losing two wickets in Ashwin’s first over, the Proteas innings followed a pattern similar to the first test as none of the batsmen, apart from AB de Villiers looked up for the task of batting in sub-continental conditions. de Villiers top scored for the Proteas with 85 on his 100th Test.
Although the conditions weren’t as helpful as they were in Mohali, India’s spinners managed to pick up wickets at regular wickets and never let the game get out of hand. Even when AB was making a mockery of the tricky conditions, Ashwin and Jadeja kept the pressure up at the other end and were richly rewarded for their efforts.
Ishant Sharma, who was playing in place of Umesh Yadav, provided plenty of control with the new ball and was impressive, even though he didn’t pick up a wicket. Varun Aaron was erratic but picked up the crucial wicket of Hashim Amla, while surprise pick Stuart Binny’s solitary contribution was a stunning catch to dismiss Morne Morkel.
If the visitors had to have any chance of salvaging something from the day, they needed to pick early wickets, but Vijay and Dhawan ensured that that didn’t hapen. With chances at a premium, the Proteas couldn’t afford to waste any, but Imran Tahir did just that, as he dropped Vijay off Morkel, when the Tamil Nadu opener was on 21.
That drop compounded South Africa’s misery as they were left to wonder what could have been, after another below-par batting performance on a pitch that was by no means a minefield.
Scorecard:
India won the toss and decided to bowl first
SA 1st innings:
| Stiaan van Zyl | 10 (20) |
| Dean Elgar | 38 (81) |
| Faf du Plessis | 0 (3) |
| Hashim Amla | 7 (18) |
| AB de Villiers | 85 (105) |
| JP Duminy | 15 (39) |
| Dane Vilas | 15 (32) |
| Kyle Abbott | 14 (40) |
| Kagiso Rabada | 0 (2) |
| Morne Morkel | 22 (20) |
| Imran Tahir | 0 (0) |
| Total | 214 |
Bowling:
| Overs | Runs | Wickets | |
| Ishant Sharma | 13 | 40 | 0 |
| Stuart Binny | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 18 | 70 | 4 |
| Varun Aaron | 9 | 51 | 1 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 16 | 50 | 4 |
IND 1st innings:
| Murali Vijay | 28 (73) |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 45 (62) |
| Total | 80/0 |
Bowling:
| Overs | Runs | Wickets | |
| Morne Morkel | 7 | 23 | 0 |
| Kyle Abbott | 6 | 18 | 0 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 5 | 17 | 0 |
| JP Duminy | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Imran Tahir | 2 | 9 | 0 |