***Official*** India in South Africa 2021-22

[TT Boy]

The SA commentators are saying they'd be happy to chase 220? Really? That's interesting. I thought anything above 200 would start to get difficult.

Talking nonsense. South Africa just about got over 200 first dig and they couldn’t get 200 at Centurion. Anything over 150 will be very difficult for this batting lineup. Had a real chance to take the game when they were 160 odd for 4 but Bavuma just can’t go to that next level and the lower order is what it is.
South African bowlers have been ordinary in the second innings but neither attack is getting much rest. Good first session for India tomorrow and they will win this big.

 

[Bahseph]

Entertaining Test match but you just can't see SA chasing anything close to 200. Ultimately handicapped themselves at the start of the Test by playing Jansen(who has been great to be fair) at 7.

I watched a fair few Rabada spells and it seems to me like he is getting wickets because he bowls a high percentage of wicket taking balls instead of spells of sustained pressure. He will always take wickets, but at his best he was more menacing than this.

 

[WpGuy]

Lets see how good or bad the decision to drop Mulder actually becomes here...

should rotated mulder in or sarel to open and makram middle order or rickleton att 6 or 7, maharaj will not bowl much and bats like a 9 or 10.

 

[Flem274*]

SA are on toast here. With QdK maybe, but Elgar and Bavuma(!) are the only consistently trustworthy batsmen rn.

 

[Arachnodouche]

All Pujara needed was #intent to turn his game around

Maybe he'll have a second coming and become an aggressive batsman

Bit of truth in that. Sparse pickings considering his form but he's freed himself up mentally everytime he's been more assertive in recent memory. His slump is almost like a writer's block; you start questioning your processes, become overly self-critical, and before long you find you've become scared of putting pen to paper.

 

[Daemon]

Bit of truth in that. Sparse pickings considering his form but he's freed himself up mentally everytime he's been more assertive in recent memory. His slump is almost like a writer's block; you start questioning your processes, become overly self-critical, and before long you find you've become scared of putting pen to paper.

I actually thought him ‘playing’ the IPL instead of CC would have had this effect but it clearly didn’t.

I would want nothing more for this team than for him to turn a corner, but there’s no cheatcode in test cricket - couple of dismissals being aggressive could well see the return of the dead bat.

Really happy to see him score last night nonetheless.

 

[silentstriker]

Talking nonsense. South Africa just about got over 200 first dig and they couldn’t get 200 at Centurion. Anything over 150 will be very difficult for this batting lineup. Had a real chance to take the game when they were 160 odd for 4 but Bavuma just can’t go to that next level and the lower order is what it is.
South African bowlers have been ordinary in the second innings but neither attack is getting much rest. Good first session for India tomorrow and they will win this big.

Yeah, I was shocked they were saying that. I tend to be pretty pessimistic even I thought that was odd. 220 is chasable sure, but being happy to chase 220 is rough with how this game has gone and with the pitch doing a little something.

 

[Anil]

we are just 58 ahead with two in-form batsmen out already, two very out of touch players at the crease and an extremely brittle batting lineup to follow...let's first get the lead to a 100, then see if we can manage to get it to 150 and so on...all talk of a 200+ lead is very premature at this point...

 

[Starfighter]

I made a thread a couple of years ago about how it seems to be much harder for fast bowlers to pick up seven-fors these days. Needless to say, Thakur was not on my list of bowlers likely to take one.

 

[Starfighter]

BTW, does anyone know any highlights that aren't geo-blocked in Australia? SA matches always seem to be absolutely impossible to get.

 

[Xix2565]

BTW, does anyone know any highlights that aren't geo-blocked in Australia? SA matches always seem to be absolutely impossible to get.

Uh official or what? YT has Cricket South Africa, and some unofficial ones if you search for it (as in first few suggestions).

 

[Starfighter]

Uh official or what? YT has Cricket South Africa, and some unofficial ones if you search for it (as in first few suggestions).

CSA doesn't load them until ages after the day - most of the first test ones were uploaded yesterday. Much harder with the unofficial ones since they removed the dislike bar.

 

[honestbharani]

Entertaining Test match but you just can't see SA chasing anything close to 200. Ultimately handicapped themselves at the start of the Test by playing Jansen(who has been great to be fair) at 7.

I watched a fair few Rabada spells and it seems to me like he is getting wickets because he bowls a high percentage of wicket taking balls instead of spells of sustained pressure. He will always take wickets, but at his best he was more menacing than this.

Has had a lot of cheap tailend wickets this series so far. Ngidi, Jansen have been comfortably better and I think Olivier was better in the first innings too.

 

[honestbharani]

Good first session for India tomorrow

A good session for either team with the bat will put them in the lead given how both teams' bowling and batting have been.

 

[honestbharani]

Bit of truth in that. Sparse pickings considering his form but he's freed himself up mentally everytime he's been more assertive in recent memory. His slump is almost like a writer's block; you start questioning your processes, become overly self-critical, and before long you find you've become scared of putting pen to paper.

They were all prepared for second innings Shami, second innings Pujara came out of syllabus.

/youknowthememe

 

[honestbharani]

I made a thread a couple of years ago about how it seems to be much harder for fast bowlers to pick up seven-fors these days. Needless to say, Thakur was not on my list of bowlers likely to take one.

Lord cant be compared to mortals though.

 

[honestbharani]

ON the subject of the wonky hawkeye, I feel even Vereynne yesterday seemed to be wonky. That looked umpire's call on legstump at best but it showed to be hitting.

Also, I think others noticed the 15 second countdown going out in like 10 for one of the reviews we did not take ultimately. Very very iffy coverage by the TV station, it has to be said.

And both the Pant catch to dismiss RvD and the Markram catch to dismiss Rahul were clean. I can see why batsmen would stay their ground for those but no way were they going to be overturned. And IMO, right decision was reached on both.

 

[Xix2565]

CSA doesn't load them until ages after the day - most of the first test ones were uploaded yesterday. Much harder with the unofficial ones since they removed the dislike bar.

Yeah wish we had better highlights. One of the worst habits most cricket boards have.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

Kyle Verreynne has strong FC stats and I liked how he was applying himself yesterday, dealt with some quality pace bowling with a calm head. de Kock's retirement might be a blessing in disguise.

 

[h_hurricane]

The pessimism about India's chances in this test match is a bit misplaced. India haven't lost a test in 4 continents with Thakur in the team. The lord will do everything in his powers to keep that record in tact.