India vs. South Africa, 2nd Test, Day 1: De Villiers Shines as SA Fall to Spin

India have the slightest advantage after Day 1 of the second Test against visiting South Africa in Bangalore. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, the hosts dismissed South Africa for 214 and closed the day on 80 without loss.

Shikhar Dhawan, who struggled in the first Test, was the aggressor with 45 off 62. Murali Vijay contributed 28 off 73.

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Another woeful day for South Africa. Immensely disappointing lack of application and patience. They're batting with fear.

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) November 14, 2015"

South Africa have a mountain to climb, and they will have to do so without Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn, who both missed out through injury. The Proteas were largely responsible for their own demise, and we’ve picked some of the key talking points from Day 1.

South Africa Continue to Play the Turn, Not the Bowler

Another Test, another issue of South Africa being guilty of playing the turn when there is none. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin ripped through the batting lineup by mostly bowling straight balls. The pitch didn’t turn nearly as much as it did in Mohali but still South Africa’s batsmen could not play India’s bowlers on their merits.

Loose shots, poor application and probably a whole lot of nerves saw South Africa crumble to 214 all out. Perhaps it’s a hangover from Mohali that has brought the visitors down, but what is clear by the way India batted is there are no demons in this surface—so being dismissed for 214 is quite embarrassing.

The batsmen just haven’t settled or taken their time to assess the bowlers to get comfortable with them.

AB de Villiers Stands Tall

This series is very much repeating its narratives. Like in the first Test, it was AB de Villiers who showed the batsmen how things are done. De Villiers will probably be a little bit irritated with himself he didn’t get a ton in his 100th Test, but he was running out of partners and had to crank up the tempo. There is always the second innings, of course, if the rain stays away.

Faf du Plessis’ Wicket: Was It or Wasn’t It?

Faf du Plessis hasn’t looked great in this Test series. He had a good outing in the limited-overs series but twice he got out cheaply in the first Test.

This time, a rash shot that was sharply taken at short leg caused some controversy. The decision was sent upstairs, and after much deliberation, he was given out. However, later replays made it look as though Cheteshwar Pujara’s fingers were not completely underneath the ball.

The scoreboard will stay as is, but the jury is still out on social media.

Is JP Duminy’s Hand Troubling Him Again?

JP Duminy got off to an innocuous start with the ball and was later spotted getting treatment with some extra plaster put over his hand. The all-rounder had stitches in his hand in October after South Africa’s fifth ODI against India and missed the first Test as a result. Could it be his hand is troubling him again?

Lack of Penetration of the Inexperienced Attack

Because of injuries, South Africa are playing with a slightly weakened bowling attack. Steyn and Vernon Philander are both missing, which means rookies Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada have had to support Morne Morkel. While none of South Africa’s bowlers were woeful, they lacked that oomph up front that often comes from Steyn.

It was clear the up-front bowlers had not yet formed the same kind of chemistry the usual attack has. Their lack of experience in playing in the conditions in India will also be a factor.

Imran Tahir Dropped the Simplest of Catches

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That moment when you're so mad at your friend that you want to scream but you're Hashim Amla so you just meditate: pic.twitter.com/SUU89TZpz9

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) November 14, 2015"

Imran Tahir just can’t catch a break. He’s not been overly impressive since returning to Test cricket last December, and he dropped a crucial catch on Saturday. Tahir put Vijay down at square leg in the 16th over, and considering Vijay was the most consistent batsman for India in the first Test, it was the worst possible thing Tahir could've done.