Page 4 - India Vs South Africa

IND vs SA 2nd Test: Gavaskar surprised over Proteas decision to bat first

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday expressed surprise at South African skipper Dean Elgar's decision to bat first in the second Test against India. Elgar's decision backfired as South Africa were bundled out for 55, their lowest total against India. India were on course for a big lead until losing their last six wickets for no run to be all out for 153, limiting their first innings advantage to 98 runs. "Well, I tell you what, I was a bit surprised by what happened," Gavaskar said in his match analysis on Star Sports. "Because a lot of times, captains and coaches make a big deal about what the pitch is gonna be..." Having annihilated India inside three days in the opening Test, South Africa had the perfect opportunity to take the upper hand by inserting them in on a fresh pitch, Gavaskar opined. "I think you've also got to look at the psychology of the Indian team, having been defeated in three days, having batted so poorly in the second innings and going to be batting fir

IND vs SA 2nd Test: India join Pakistan, create unwanted record in Newlands

India joined Pakistan as the team with the most ducks in an innings in a Test match

IND-SA: Have to get them out for minimum score- Siraj on Day 2 strategy

Mohammed Siraj is delighted to have started the 2024 with career-best figures in Test cricket but after day one of the second Test, the India pacer was more pleased about rectifying the mistakes he committed during the series opener against South Africa. Siraj had figures of 2/91 in South Africa's only innings in the opening Test but returned with six for 15 from nine overs to bundle out the hosts for 55 in first innings as 23 wickets fell on day one. Did he think he will come out to bowl twice in a day? Did you think so? he chuckled with a counter question. We didn't think also. We had put our feet up but this is cricket. You see both good and bad things, he added philosophically. But he was visibly happy after having one of his best days in his 23 Test career. You want the New Year to go well, the affable Hyderabadi said with satisfaction written all over his face. I realised what I missed in the last game and wanted to compensate and I executed my plans accordingly. I wanted

India vs South Africa: When 23 wickets fell in a single day of a Test match

India lost their last six wickets for 0 runs at Newlands Stadium in Capetown against South Africa on January 3, 2023

IND vs SA 2nd Test: Proteas register their lowest Test score; Siraj takes 6

Mohammed Siraj registered his third five-wicket haul and his best figures in Tests after getting six South African wickets at Newlands in the New Year's Test

IND vs SA: Kohli's bow-arrow gesture during 'Ram Siya Ram' song; watch here

A video showing Kohli emulating lord Ram's distinctive bow-and-arrow gesture while 'Ram Siya Ram' song was being played in the Newlands stadium in Cape town, has gone viral on social media

IND vs SA 2nd Test, Day 1 Highlights: 23 wickets fall as India lead by 36

India vs South Africa 2nd Test, Day 1 LIVE SCORE Updates: It was a bowler's day out on Newlands as 23 wickets fell, joint-most on a single day in South Africa. At 62/3, Proteas trailed by 36

India vs South Africa 2nd Test Playing 11: Two changes in India's XI

IND vs SA Playing 11: Ravindra Jadeja has replaced R Ashwin while Shardul Thakur paves the way for Mukesh Kumar. Disney+Hotstar will provide the live streaming of the match in India

IND vs SA - Test cricket, ultimate challenge and must be protected: Rohit

Indian captain Rohit Sharma feels that it is each and every ICC member's duty to protect the sanctity of Test cricket as it remains the ultimate format. Cricket South Africa selected seven uncapped players, including an inexperienced first timer Neil Brand, for the upcoming tour of New Zealand to accommodate top stars for the cash-rich SA20, which is coinciding with the Test series. All the SA20 franchises are owned by IPL team owners and the move to prioritize franchise cricket has earned widespread criticism. For me, Test remains ultimate challenge and we would like to see best players playing that format but everyone has own problems to deal with and make sure there is a reason behind it, Rohit reacted when asked about the CSA move. But he was clear that he always wants top players to play Tests. I don't know what the reason is (for SA not picking senior players) and in Test cricket you want to see best players being available but like I said I don't know what internal discussi

India vs South Africa 2nd Test: Have to show trust in Prasidh - Rohit

India skipper Rohit Sharma said he is not ready to lose faith in Prasidh Krishna's ability to withstand the rigours of five-day cricket despite his lacklustre debut in the opening Test against South Africa. Krishna was hammered for 93 runs in 20 overs on debut during the Centurion Test which India lost by an innings and 32 runs. "We had brief chat with management as to what we want from this game from bowlers, we haven't exactly finalized our eleven, all our players are fit and available. We will sit down and decide," Rohit said when asked about potential changes and whether Mukesh Kumar has a chance to play. It seemed he wants to persist with Prasidh, who is not exactly known for his economy rate and has been leaking runs across formats. "Having said that I know we have a little bit of inexperience in bowling and when that happens, you got to show trust in them. That can happen with any team. Post last match, I said about Prasidh playing his first game. We all get nervous when you

India cricket team over-rated in Test and T20 cricket: Kris Srikkanth

India is an "overrated" team in the longest format as many players in the current Test set-up have not performed to their potential, feels former opener Kris Srikkanth. Srikkanth's comments comes a few days after India suffered an embarrassing innings defeat in the first Test match against South Africa at Centurion. The 64-year-old acknowledged the success that India achieved under Virat Kohli but said they can't live on past laurels. "Test cricket, we are over-rated," Srikkanth said on his youtube channel. "I think it was a phase of 2-3 years...when Virat Kohli was the captain of the team, we were outstanding. We dominated in England, we fought hard in South Africa, we won in Australia. We had a good phase for 2-4 years," Srikkanth said. India have reached the finals in the last two editions of the World Test Championships but Srikkanth feels it is time to forget about the ICC rankings. "We have to forget ICC rankings. We are always 1-2, 1-2. It's a combination of having over-r

IND vs SA 2nd Test preview: Bowlers face tall task; Rohit seeks redemption

Rohit Sharma, the leader, will need to channelise the champion tactician that resides in him as India look to restore parity against South Africa and remain consequential in the World Championship points table when the second Test starts here on Wednesday. Ravindra Jadeja, India's "Most Valuable Player" across formats, will come back to add the requisite middle-order batting balance and steady overs with the old Kookaburra but it will be the skipper's choice of third and fourth speed merchants that will define the embattled team's response. As harsh as it might sound, no one knows more than Rohit that Prasidh Krishna is pretty undercooked to counter the vagaries of Test cricket and Shardul Thakur's bits and pieces talent will not win him much on most days. But with three top-order batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer compounding the team's worries with their ineptitude while dealing with the bouncer barrage, Shardul's presence gives the side an assumption of ...

IND vs SA 2nd Test: Shreyas Iyer faces short ball barrage in net session

Virat Kohli looked a million dollars as he did extensive simulation for South Africa's left-arm pacer Nandre Burger but Shreyas Iyer's problems seemed to continue while facing a barrage of short balls at nets here on Monday. On the New Year's Day, it was business as usual for Kohli, who had an extended session lasting close to an hour. First, he was at the centre nets against bowlers and then he faced high-intensity throwdowns for about 20 to 25 minutes at outside nets. Kohli is known to come to nets with specific purpose and on Monday, it seemed he wanted to extensively bat against a left-arm pacer. Since the Indian team's pace bowling roster doesn't include a left-armer, a net bowler was summoned and Kohli faced a good 25 to 30 deliveries from him in between playing against Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, R Ashwin and Avesh Khan. Kohli was repeatedly seen putting in a big stride forward and at times walking a couple of steps to whip the bowler through mid wicket. However, the on

Test's future in hands of administrators: Dean Elgar on prioritising SA20

With nothing to lose on the eve of his final international outing, Dean Elgar didn't hold back while expressing his disgust about Cricket South Africa sending a third-string squad to New Zealand under an uncapped captain just because the series is coinciding with the cash-rich SA20. It is a situation the 36-year-old Elgar, the stand-in captain for the second, and final, Test against India at Newlands, termed as "not ideal." "I still think Test cricket will have a future and in speaking to the younger guys in the dressing room, they still live for the format," Elgar said on Tuesday during his last pre-match conference. "The situation we've been put in from a cricketing fraternity perspective isn't ideal and maybe the team that's selected to go to New Zealand isn't ideal for the conversation of how I see Test cricket," Elgar was straightforward in his observations. Neil Brand will lead the Proteas team with seven uncapped players and none with even 10 Test experience against a strong

IND vs SA: Rohit focuses on Mukesh in net session, Jadeja goes full tilt

It was an optional session at the Supersport Park but for India skipper Rohit Sharma, skipping the nets wasn't an option. Outfoxed by South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada in both innings of the opening Test, Rohit was present as skipper and batter in equal measure during a two-hour session. The Indian captain was focussed on facing Mukesh Kumar, who bowled only to Rohit for at least 45 minutes. While the fit-again Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin also bowled in the same nets, the Indian skipper's complete attention was on the one Test old Bengal seamer. Occasionally, Dayanand Garani, the throwdown specialist kept his deliveries fast and full on off stump channel. He actually wanted Mukesh to bowl one that comes in with the angle from length. "Hawa mein andaar aa raha hai. Par koshish kar angle se andar laane ka," the skipper told his younger colleague. Rohit specifically wanted Mukesh to pitch in between 4-6 metre length and the seamer seemed to have impressed the ..

IND vs SA 2nd Test: Gerald Coetzee ruled out due to pelvic inflammation

Gerald Coetzee was not at his best in the first Test, picking just one wicket in both innings combined and scoring only 19 runs with the bat

IND vs SA Test: Prasidh's performance hints at India's bare bench strength

A few weeks ago, India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey in an interview to PTI was very clear that no coach can claim credit to have created a pacer of Mohammed Shami's calibre. On the second and third day of the first Test against South Africa when Dean Elgar, David Bedingham and Marco Jansen were making a mockery of Shardul Thakur and debutant Prasidh Krishna, Shami's absence was felt like never before. It could be said with a degree of certainty that Prasidh might have played his first and last Test for some time and in the next game Ravindra Jadeja and Avesh Khan would walk into the playing XI in place of him and Shardul Thakur. The Indian fans got a reality check that the country's second line of red ball bowlers aren't exactly finished products and the days of dominance due to Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav could be all but over. Ishant and Umesh are unofficially done with their Test careers and Shami is nearer to end rather than start. Th

IND vs SA 2nd Test: Elgar named Proteas captain, Hamza replaces Bavuma

Proteas regular skipper Bavuma, who was injured in the first Test, has been replaced by Zubayr Hamza in the squad while Dean Elgar has been named skipper

Avesh Khan added to India's squad ahead of second Test against South Africa

A day after their embarrassing defeat to hosts South Africa in the first Test, India called up right-arm fast bowler Avesh Khan on Friday in a bid to bolster their pace attack for the second and final Test at Cape Town. India lost the opening Test by an innings and 32 runs here on Thursday, the match ending in three days. The right-arm fast bowler was named as a replacement for Mohammed Shami, who was ruled out of the two Tests as he did not get the necessary clearance from the BCCI medical team. "The Men's Selection Committee has named Mr Avesh Khan as a replacement for Mr Mohd. Shami for the second Test against South Africa to be played from 3rd-7th January 2024 in Cape Town," the board said in a release. The 27-year-old Avesh, who has so far claimed 149 wickets in 38 first-class games at 22.65, was a part of India's victorious campaign in the three-match ODI series against South Africa before the Tests in which he took six wickets. Avesh is currently busy representing the India

IND vs SA 2nd Test: Jadeja starts training, may find place in India XI

Amid the doom and gloom following a humiliating defeat, the Indian cricket team has some good news as senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja could be available for the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town, starting January 3. Jadeja missed the opening Test match after complaining of "upper back spasm" during the morning of the first day at the Supersport Park. However, on the third day of the first Test, those present at the ground saw Jadeja being a part of the warm-up session before the proceedings started in the middle. The all-rounder didn't look in any sort of discomfort as he ran multiple 30 to 40 metre short strides during the morning session. He also did a few fitness drills during the session. But the most reassuring aspect was his bowling during the lunch break on the third day. Along with reserve pacer Mukesh Kumar, Jadeja, for close to 20 minutes, bowled on a practice track and was keenly watched by the team's strength and conditioning coach, Rajnikant. He was ma