Aakash Chopra, the host of JioCinema’s daily sports show “#AAKASHVANI,” discussed and evaluated both teams’ performances in the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion. Take a peek:
On the performance of Dean Elgar
The “Final Frontier” has eluded our repeated conquest. Even though we might still tie the series, a victory is now assured. The “Final Frontier” needs to be called Dean Elgar instead of that. He was instrumental in South Africa’s previous Test series victory, if my memory serves me well. In this test as well, he was simply exceptional.
About India’s strategy for the Test
I thought there was a real possibility of an Indian comeback as the third day of play started. However, it didn’t take place. A loss of an inning is really humiliating. With the exception of Virat Kohli in the second inning and KL Rahul in the first, none of the other players seemed credible. Nobody appeared to be willing to stay put, suffer physical abuse, or play ugly. In both innings, Kagiso Rabada got rid of Rohit Sharma. It will take Yashasvi Jaiswal a long time to understand these conditions. Shreyas Iyer didn’t appear well. India had to bat for four or five sessions, but they were unable to do so.
About the variation in bowling units
Both literally and symbolically, the South African bowlers stood tall. Their tall bowlers had superior bounce and movement off the rather uneven Centurion ground. With the exception of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah in isolated instances, none of India’s bowlers bowled well. Prasidh Krishna did not make much of an impression in his first Test; Shardul Thakur was mediocre; and (Ravichandran) Ashwin was restricting. The bowling unit seems somewhat underdone. For instance, Thakur did not participate in any competitive matches for the last month or two after his maiden World Cup performance. He appeared dated.
Shubman Gill’s challenges
Gill appeared like a player for the future during the India tour’s series against Australia. His preferred format is ODIs, where he bats well, and in T20s, he performs well. However, I don’t think he has played well in Test matches against the West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, England, and others. Thus, the question mark is present. He was an opener at the beginning.
Once at No. 3, he batted. I think that eventually he wants to bat at No. 4. But he must begin to score runs. Additionally, he bats with a little technological flaw. He is not primarily a foot player; instead, he prefers to play with his hands. Thus, this strategy might work well for white-ball cricket and flat wickets. However, that isn’t practical in Test cricket.
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