"7 or more wickets will fall on the 1st day" - Aakash Chopra makes his predictions for the 2nd India vs South Africa Test
Aakash Chopra believes quite a few wickets could fall on the opening day of the second Test between India and South Africa.
Team India lost just three wickets on the first day of the Boxing Day Test after they had opted to bat first. The Centurion pitch was slightly on the slower side to start with, but the Wanderers surface is likely to be fast and bouncy from the word go.
Considering the likely nature of the pitch, Chopra expects bowlers to have a field day. He said the following in a video shared on his YouTube channel:
"Seven or more wickets will fall on the first day itself. The question will be there on what the captain should do after winning the toss. Batting first is always a great theory."
"You need to do a little walk the talk as it is slightly difficult on the first day, but Centurion also showed that if you play well, then bat first after winning the toss, you will be saved. The chase does not happen in the end; the wicket starts becoming up and down."
The former India player also expects pacers to outbowl spinners. Aakash Chopra predicted:
"40 wickets will fall in this match, and in that, I feel fast bowlers will take 35 wickets. 30-plus wickets for fast bowlers. Spinners will not be of any use here."
Good to see those thick grass coverings are off.Will still have true bounce through out the match.Key will be to hit the right lengths if you are a seamer.Will be interesting to see which team will get their team combination right. https://t.co/GJS4Sb1JoJ
Both sides fielded a spinner - Ravichandran Ashwin and Keshav Maharaj - in the first Test. It will be interesting to see if they stick with the same combination or opt for an all-pace attack.
"One batter to be dismissed off a bouncer" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra reckons at least one batter could fall prey to a short-pitched delivery. He elaborated:
"One batter to be dismissed off a bouncer because it is a very fast pitch. Whether it is ours or theirs, one batter will be caught either in the deep or by the keeper or short-leg, somewhere or the other."
The reputed commentator also does not expect too many big partnerships on the opening day of the game. Aakash Chopra observed:
"I feel one partnership of more than 50 will be there in the entire day. The chances are slightly less for it to be more than that."
The opening day of the Centurion Test saw a century and two half-century partnerships from Team India. However, the rest of the match saw just one half-century partnership across both sides.