India vs South Africa 2018, 2nd Test: The legend of Ngidi grows and other takeawaysÂ
The conclusion of the second Test between India and South Africa can be effectively summed up as an anticlimax, far from being the close contest it was until the final day. The collapse of the Indian batting order was unanticipated, given the fact that it comprised seasoned batsmen like Pujara, Kohli and Vijay among others.
Further, the fact that the pitch was distinctly 'Indian' in its make-up meant that India would have fancied their chances. However, it was the South African bowling attack which kept chipping away at the lapses in approach of the Indian batsmen with their four-pronged pace attack, ensuring that South Africa remain an impenetrable fortress for the Indians.
Bodyline tactics
The second Test match between India and South Africa had more pertinence for it forced the cricket fan to hark back to the potency of bodyline bowling, outlawed since it was first employed by the Englishmen to counter the stature of Don Bradman.
In the modern game, the tactic has been phased out and its potentially fatal nature nullified with the introduction of protective equipment, and the number of bouncers allowed in a single over of a Test match being curbed to just two. Nevertheless, the South African pace quartet comprising Ngidi, Morkel, Philander and Rabada made optimum use of the bodyline tactic and reaped the laurels which they owe, in no small part, to the archetypal Indian track.