Agencies
Mohali, Nov 6: India wrested the initiative in the first Test being played here by winning all the three sessions Friday at the PCA Stadium. After dismissing the visitors for 184 courtesy, Ravichandran Ashwin’s (5/51) 13th five-wicket haul, the hosts scored 125 for the loss of two wickets at stumps with Cheteshwar Pujara (63 batting, 100b, 6×4, 1×6) showing the way with some fine batting.
The Indians now lead by 142 runs with eight second innings wickets in hand, on a pitch where the ball is turning and keeping low, albeit a bit slowly, giving the batters the time to adjust. But even then chasing anything close to 300 on the fourth innings will be difficult. South Africa’s problems were compounded by a groin injury to pace spearhead Dale Steyn, who did not take the field when India batted.
But more of that later as the first two sessions belonged to the Indian spinners with Ashwin once more dominating the show. In the process he became the fastest to reach the 150-wicket milestone among Indian bowlers and the fourth fastest overall. The offie was well-supported by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3/55) and Amit Mishra (2/35). Both maintained the pressure exerted on the opposition batsmen by Ashwin.
Yes, Dean Elgar (37), skipper Hashim Amla (43, 97b, 6×4) and that wonderfully talented AB de Villiers (63, 83b, 6×4) did try their best. But on a pitch which bounced and turned, survival was always going to be a question. And other than these three, none of the others could really handle the guile the spin troika had to offer.
Resuming at 28 for two, Elgar and Amla batted with a lot of circumspect to take the score to 85. But the moment, Ashwin had Elgar caught at backward point by Jadeja running to his right, the floodgates open. Amla was distinctly lucky, the ball bouncing of glovesman Wriddhiman Saha’s chest to dislodge the bails after he had stepped out to Ashwin. But the rest were ‘ayaram, gayaram’ in cricket parlance.
De Villiers held one end up, farming as much of the strike as possible. But then Mishra bowled him with the ball of the match– beating the batsman in flight and turning just that much to beat the bat and rattle the stumps. It was leg spin at its best and De Villiers could do nothing, but admire the delivery.
Sikhar Dhawan fell again as he did in the first innings, playing away from the body to be caught in the slips off Vernon Philander. But after that Pujara and Murali Vijay (47, 105b, 6×4) put on 86 runs for the second wicket to settle the Indian nerves. Both batted judiciously, and handled the spinner with ease, stepping out whenever, the opportunity arose. It was only a brilliant piece of fielding at short-leg that ended Vijay’s innings, otherwise, Indian would have definitely been better off.
