Wickets tumbled and batsmen were struck on the fingers and body as South Africa and India battled for supremacy on the second day of the third and final Test on Thursday.
Hashim Amla’s 61 enabled South Africa to squeeze into a seven-run first innings lead before India nudged ahead again by reaching 49 for one at the close, an overall lead of 42 at Wanderers Stadium.
We look at the good and bad performances of a day which firmly belonged to the tourists.
THE GOOD
CLASSY AMLA’S GUTSY FIFTY
On a pitch which could pretty much resemble a minefield, one batsman stood taller as others around him faltered. As India’s pacers shone, Hashim Amla brought out his immaculate best. He was beaten by the prodigious movement on numerous occasions and was made to look foolish on many instances but he survived.
Looking to cover the line of the ball, Amla readjusted his guard and profited whenever the bowlers occasionally strayed down the leg side. It was an innings of immense mental fortitude and a testament to Test cricket at its very best.
The 34-year-old readjusted his technique and it paid dividends in the form of a 37th Test fifty and perhaps the toughest of his career so far. If not for Amla, the Proteas could well have conceded a substantial first-innings lead.
JASPRIT BUMRAH’S MAIDEN FIVE-FOR
While Bhuvneshwar Kumar had done the early damage on the day by removing Dean Elgar and AB De Villiers, it was young Jasprit Bumrah who was India’s hero with the ball on day two.
The 24-year-old took a few overs to find the perfect line and length for the hostile pitch and when he did, boy did he make it count.
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis could only watch in horror as Bumrah’s in-swinger castled his stumps as he shouldered arms. Bumrah then got the big scalp of AB De Villiers with another wicked in-swinger that pitched near the sixth stump to take out the middle stump.
The pacer then deceived Quinton de Kock with one that came into the left-hander before he dismissed Andile Phehlukwayo and Lungi Ngidi to complete a well deserved maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
THE BAD
MOHAMMED SHAMI FAILS TO FIND HIS RADAR
On a pitch where the bowlers had half the job done for them already, Mohammed Shami found the going tough.
Shami constantly failed to find the right length to bowl on the Wanderers track as he released the early pressure built on the batsmen by Bhuvenshwar and Ishant Sharma.
He veered towards the shorter side when he needed to be much fuller and this allowed the likes of Amla to score some crucial runs. Shami eventually picked up one wicket but in doing so, he went for almost four runs an over. He simply has not found his rhythm throughout the series and looks to be some way off peak fitness.
THE SKIPPER’S GAFFE
While Amla had provided the template to survive on the hostile track, it seems du Plessis failed to take his cue. His dismissal while shouldering arms to a Bumrah delivery will surely rankle the Proteas skipper given the high stakes.
Amla had looked to cover his stumps with every delivery given the wild movement on offer at Wanderers and his technique readjustment seemed to be working a treat. Hence du Plessis’ decision to leave a delivery slightly outside off-stump was perplexing and he paid the ultimate price as the ball crashed into the stumps.
On a pitch where every run is of utmost value, the skipper’s mode of dismissal bordered on the blasphemous.
