South Africa vs India 2018: South Africa's unexpected late collapse is SK Play of the Day
In what as a far cry from the rapid pace and bounce promised ahead of the match, a flat surface devoid of any demons greeted South Africa and India at the SuperSport Park. When the hosts appeared to be on their way to making a strong statement on the opening day of the second Test, a chaotic late collapse helped the visitors to storm back into the game.
Following a solid opening partnership with Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram capitalised on his strong start and set the platform for his team by compiling a 150-ball 94. With the pitch offering some turn, Ravichandran Ashwin became the key-man for India. He persevered in an admirable manner and was aptly rewarded with the scalps of both opening batsmen.
When Ishant Sharma induced an inside-edge to get rid of the dangerous AB de Villiers, South Africa were still on top as Hashim Amla started to roar back into form. The experienced stalwart showed much more patience than the previous match and made the Indian bowlers veer into his strong zone.
Having scored as many as 14 boundaries, Amla was positioned at 82 and looking good for a significant score. After all, the man has always been renowned for playing huge knocks. Even though the second new ball became available, the tourists decided not to avail the opportunity. When the 81st over began, South Africa were stationed quite comfortably at 245/3. But the match turned on its head in the space of the next three overs.
Pandya's splendid direct hit removes Amla
After defending a short-pitched delivery from Hardik Pandya, Amla set off for a risky single. Once the inertia from his follow through carried him forward, the bowler hared towards the ball and effected a swift pick-up from the short leg area.
Turning around quickly, Pandya unleashed a fierce throw even as Amla was trying hard to get to his end. However, the throw was faster than him and crashed on to the stumps before he could slide the bat past his crease.
Considering that both batsmen were ready to take the chance, it might be hard to place the blame on either. While the call to take such a risk-laden run did not make much sense, Pandya's moment of magic converted the chance into a massive wicket for India.
Late wickets bring India back into the contest
Perhaps wary of Quinton de Kock's natural ability to take the attacking approach, skipper Virat Kohli remained reluctant to take the new ball. The seemingly defensive yet sensible move paid rich dividends as the wicket-keeper batsman fell prey to the wiles of Ashwin. Without any footwork, the southpaw flashed hard at a tempting delivery. The Indian captain completed a smart catch at slip to hand a third scalp to the seasoned off-spinner.
In the next over, the situation turned even more disastrous for South Africa. After trying to get on top of a rising delivery, Vernon Philander set off for a nonexistent single. While the ball lobbed into empty space, a slew of fielders converged around.
With both batsmen now stranded at the non-striker's end, the throw came in and Pandya calmly whipped the bails off. A combination of ball watching and not identifying Faf du Plessis' fervent negative response resulted in Philander's exit.
From 246/3, South Africa slumped to 251/6. A day, which had been heading towards them, was now thrown back in the balance. Having restricted the hosts to 269/6 at the end of the first day, India's dream of conjuring something special from Centurion remains alive.