All the pep talk, previous records and statistics have gone in vain as India have not only lost the second Test but also the Test series against South Africa in a lopsided manner. There was not much change in the script for the number one ranked India who once again failed to break the famous South African jinx despite a ‘favourable’ brown strip in Centurion. Debutant Lungi Ngidi played the role of chief tormentor to hand India a 135-run drubbing in the second Test at SuperSport Park.
After the 72-run loss in the opening Test, the margin got bigger in the second Test as the visitors handed the home side a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Rohit Sharma's 47 was the lone noteworthy contribution in a chase of 287, which was a tall task from the beginning given the unpredictable bounce of the pitch. The visiting team folded for 151 in 50.2 overs, never really offering a fight.
The role of the top-order becomes highly important particularly in the longer format when a team depends on the top three to give them a good platform. Coming off from a splendid season at home – Murali Vijay, KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara simply failed to put their best foot forward on the testing strips in South Africa. In both the Test matches – Cape Town and Centurion, the famed names of the Indian batting unit fell like a pack of cards against some quality fast bowling from the hosts. Captain Virat Kohli also made a slight change in the opening combination after losing the first Test as he included Rahul in place of Shikhar Dhawan. But, it didn’t change the outcome as the opening combination failed miserably to add to the list of woes for the visitors. Also, Pujara who was the second highest run-getter in 2017 (behind Steve Smith) also become a point of worry for the visitors. He got the start in Newlands in the first innings but failed in the second.
Costly drops and lethargic fielding
Speaking at the post-match conference, Indian team skipper Virat Kohli quipped: “As a team, you want to win collectively. We tried but we weren't good enough. South Africa were better than us, especially in the fielding department, and that's why they are the winners. And they deserve to be."
This statement from the captain of a young side whose fielding standards have been ‘world-class’ in the last few years have certainly raised a few eyebrows. “Catches win matches” – this quote weighs in gold particularly for the visiting team, if we look at the highlights package of the last two Tests. Known for their athletic and brilliant field work, Team India came out with greasy hands in both the matches and dropped crucial catches. From Virat Kohli to Parthiv Patel, Mohammed Shami to Hardik Pandya – everybody missed the chances which could have made an impact in the outcome of the series.
