"DO NOT smile after most deliveries" - Kevin Pietersen urges Nandre Burger to be more aggressive in IND vs SA 1st Test
South Africa's left-arm pacer Nandre Burger impressed many with his bowling exploits on Day 1 of the ongoing Boxing Day Test against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Burger made early inroads in his debut Test outing, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill early. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen lauded the 28-year-old for his bowling exploits, albeit giving him a piece of advice.
Taking to microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), Pietersen wrote:
"I like Nandre Burger. I like his pace a lot. The only thing I’d like even more, is if he didn’t smile as much and got more aggressive! Smiling at batters gives them a small win every single time. Bowl fast, seriously fast and DO NOT smile after most deliveries!"
Nandre Burger struck in the 10th over the Indian innings, claiming his maiden Test scalp by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 17 runs.
Interestingly, both Burger and Jaiswal will share the dressing room in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). Rajasthan Royals (RR) acquired the speedster's services by signing him for ₹50 lakh at the recently concluded IPL 2024 mini-auction in Dubai.
Burger then got the better of Shubman Gill as well, with the right-hander scoring just two runs.
"Kya kar raha hai yaar" - Rajasthan Royals' reaction to Nandre Burger dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal on Day 1
Nandre Burger bowled brilliantly to Yashasvi Jaiswal, troubling the Indian opener by moving the ball both ways. He was finally rewarded for his effort, as he succeeded in forcing an error.
On the fourth ball of the 10th over, Burger kept it full outside the off-stump. He lured Jaisawal into the drive and was able to catch the outside edge of his bat and keeper Kyle Verreynne completed a simple catch.
Here's how RR reacted to the dismissal:
"kya kar raha hai yaar Burger"
The Proteas won the toss and elected to field first in the contest. India's top order failed to get going against the South African pacers. The visitors are at 176/7 at Tea on Day 1.