"They rightfully did all the experiments at the end of the day" - Ashish Nehra after bowlers put India on top on Day 4
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra discussed India's bowlers' performance on Day 4 of the first test against South Africa. He opined that Indian bowlers 'rightfully' experimented with their bowling during the finishing stages.
After getting a target of 305 runs, South African skipper Dean Elgar and dussen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Rassie van der Dussen showed resilience and batted for more than 22 overs. However, at the end of the day, bumrah" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Jasprit Bumrah produced a couple of magical deliveries. He put his side in a commanding position ahead of the all-important Day 5.
The speedster made the breakthrough for his side by bowling an in-swinging Jaffa to van der Dussen. He then rattled the stumps of nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj with a toe-crushing yorker on the last ball of the day.
Ashish Nehra reviewed Day 4 of the test match with Cricbuzz. He divulged that Indian bowlers took advantage of having runs behind them to try something different with the ball. The 42-year-old said:
"As soon as Rassie Van der Dussen was dismissed, Indian bowlers were seen bowling yorkers as well. They knew that the day was about to end, and India still had quite a few runs in their bag. They rightfully did all the experiments at the end of the day. Everything has its time and Indian bowlers know this very well."
Simply sensational from Bumrah 💥
He gets the ball to come back in sharply, bringing an end to Rassie van der Dussen's knock of 11.
Watch #SAvIND live on ICC.tv (in select regions) 📺
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Nehra also commended Bumrah for not only his excellent performance but for having speedily recovered from his ankle sprain as well. The 28-year-old awkwardly twisted his ankle during his follow-through on Day 3.
"Even if Bumrah wouldn't have got those wickets in the end, his recovery and see him bowling long spells was a big plus for me. Bumrah and Shami are the X-factor for India whenever playing outside Asia," Nehra said.
"Somewhere near 40 overs should be enough for India" - Ashish Nehra optimistic about India's chances on Day 5
After losing four wickets on Day 4, the home side will be praying for their captain Dean Elgar's dogged defiance and some rain on the final day. Much to their hopes, the weather forecast seems to have some downpours for Thursday.
When asked about the minimum number of overs India will require to seal their first win of the series, Nehra replied:
"You can never say that the 'n' number of overs will be fine. Anything can happen in this game. Maybe India didn't manage to get any wickets in the morning session and can get 3 wickets in 5 overs as well. So, cricket can show every color."
The veteran sounded confident about the tourists' bowling unit. He discerned that about 40 overs would be enough for them to get the remaining six wickets tomorrow. The left-armer mentioned:
"Leave tomorrow's forecast for tomorrow, just control the controllables. However, I'd say keeping the weather forecast in mind that somewhere near 40 overs should be enough for India to pick up the remaining six wickets."
Stumps on day four in Centurion 🏏
Late strikes from Jasprit Bumrah turns the tide in India's favour but South African skipper Dean Elgar stands tall.
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After 40.5 overs on Wednesday, the hosts' score read - 94/4, with 211 runs still required for them to win the Test match. Meanwhile, two late strikes by India turned the tide in their favor. They need just six more wickets to win their first ever match in Centurion.