India vs. South Africa: Winners and Losers from 1st Test
India claimed a mammoth 108-run victory in the first Test against South Africa in Mohali. The Test lasted just three days with the spinners doing the bulk of the damage.
On a track with plenty of assistance for the spinners, batsmen on both teams were poor in their application. Five-wicket hauls for Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and decent knocks from Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara helped India to take the lead in this four-Test series.
South Africa have been shaken and now have to rethink their approach as they head into the second Test next week. We’ve picked some winners and losers from the first Test. Feel free to add yours in the comments.
Winner: The Pitch
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So much of the talk centred around the pitch and how much it was turning on Day 1. The turn didn’t get much worse, but that didn’t stop the outrage from punters on the internet.
People were unhappy that a home team dare prepare a pitch that suits their strengths. Here’s the thing: It’s called home-ground advantage for a reason. The pitch did turn more than you would expect, yes, but it was hardly a rank turner and the bulk of the dismissals (for both teams) were because of poor application and not ridiculous spin.
Loser: South Africa’s Lack of Attacking Plans
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Rotating the strike often crops up when teams are losing wickets in clusters and because of pressure. Interestingly, South Africa actually took more singles than India in their first innings. But rotating the strike doesn’t always mean taking a single: it also means taking the fight to the bowler.
As former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs pointed out on Twitter, the sweep or lap to attack and rotate the strike simply didn’t feature in South Africa’s plans. You would think that after playing such an attacking game in the limited-overs matches some of that might have stuck with them, but not so.
Loser: The Leave
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On the subject of shot selection, South Africa’s (and India’s, to an extent) defence was woeful. South Africa’s batsmen made terrible decisions on which balls to leave. Even experienced players of spin like Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla were dismissed because they did not offer a shot to deliveries that turned modestly a best.
The visitors were guilty of playing the conditions and not the ball.
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Winners: The Spinners of Both Teams
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With the track offering some assistance to the slower bowlers, it’s no surprise that it is the spinners of both teams that stood out.
South Africa saw Imran Tahir return to action and while questions still remain over his efficiency against the top order, he did a job to help dismiss the tail. However, South Africa might find themselves in a slight selection pickle if JP Duminy regains fitness for the second Test.
Duminy is a handy part-timer and Simon Harmer offers far more with the bat than Tahir. If the wicket in the second Test is going to turn as much as the one in Mohali did, then they will need all the batting help they can get.
Loser: South Africa’s Momentum
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After series wins in the T20 and ODI series, South Africa’s momentum has finally fallen flat. They didn't just lose, they were thumped.
South Africa have previously been able to dig themselves out of a hole with their backs against the wall in a Test, but they came undone this time around. They are slow starters in Test series, but after their impressive run in the limited-overs matches, you’d have expected them to do a little better.
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