"There is no doubt that India missed Mohammed Siraj" - Gautam Gambhir on where the visitors' bowling went wrong
Gautam Gambhir believes Mohammed Siraj's inability to bowl at full tilt due to his hamstring injury was one of the reasons behind Team India's below-par bowling performance in the fourth innings.
Siraj sustained a hamstring injury on Day 1 of the second Test between India and South Africa. He did bowl 16 overs across South Africa's two innings, but was down on pace and proved largely ineffective.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir was asked about the Indian bowlers' inability to defend 122 runs on the fourth day of the Johannesburg Test. He responded:
"There is no doubt that India missed Mohammed Siraj in this Test match. The fourth pace bowler's absence was definitely felt. If Siraj had been hundred percent, you could have rotated your two main bowlers much better."
The former India cricketer added that Ravichandran Ashwin's effectiveness was also neutralized by the wet ball. Gautam Gambhir elaborated:
"You knew once the ball gets wet Ashwin will not get too much purchase. So you were literally playing with three bowlers. When you expect three bowlers to take eight wickets, it is always difficult because you cannot afford an off day of any of the bowlers."
Wet balls meant the ball was changed twice. So India lost the ball they prepared to bowl when it got old. It also took Ashwin out of the game.
That said, we took the bowling attack for granted. They were due for an off day.
For far too long, they shouldered the burden. #SAvIND
Ashwin extracted some turn from the Wanderers' surface on the third day and even dismissed Keegan Petersen. Although the off-spinner was straightaway brought into the attack at the start of the fourth day's proceedings, he didn't look too threatening and was dispensed with quickly.
Gautam Gambhir on why the Indian pacers were less effective than their South African counterparts
Gautam Gambhir was also asked about the Indian pacers banging the ball too short and conceding five wides on multiple occasions. He replied:
"You want your bowlers to test the batters with short deliveries. But when South Africa were bowling, their fast bowlers are taller, so when they had to bowl the short ball, they didn't have to bang it that much on the wicket."
55: Runs through byes & wides in the Jo'burg test.
Erratic bowling was on display by both sides on a a pitch with lots of bounce. A result of the seamers banging it too short too frequently to knock the batter over instead of being patient.
Rabada & Bumrah: Chief Orchestrators!
The 40-year-old concluded by saying that the likes of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are not as accustomed to bowling on bouncy pitches as the South African quicks. Gambhir explained:
"It is not the natural delivery of Shami and Bumrah. Their natural delivery is to pitch the ball up. If you see Rabada or Marco Jansen, their length is back of the length. That was also a huge difference in the two teams' bowling."
The South African pacers extracted disconcerting bounce from the Wanderers' pitch. Shardul Thakur was probably the only Indian bowler to regularly hit the cracks on the pitch and reaped the rewards with his seven-wicket haul in the first innings.