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Mohali, November 9
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The South Africans, at the moment, seem to be following just the second part of the saying with regard to the wickets they are expecting to be rolled out in the remaining three Tests of the four-match series.
To be fair, the visitors can’t be faulted for being a little despondent on this count. It’s become pretty clear from the challenging wicket rolled out for the first Test in Mohali — and also from the unabashed noises made by the Indian team management in demanding wickets laden with home advantage — that the wickets, from the visitors’ perspective, are likely to get worse.
So, it was no surprise to see the South African batsmen practising against spin on a wicket scuffed up at a good-length area during a net session at the Punjab Cricket Stadium on Monday. All top-order batsmen, especially Hashim Amla and JP Duminy, faced throw-downs on the scuffed-up wicket to prepare for the worst possible scenario in the remaining Tests of the series.
On the track simulating the ones the visitors are expecting to be rolled out in the remaining matches, the ball jagged around quite alarmingly when it landed in the rough. Sometimes it climbed sharply on the batsmen, at times it spun square, and at times it stayed extremely low, keeping the batsmen guessing most of the time.
If the wickets actually turn out as bad as the South Africans are preparing for, the visitors will need nothing short of a miracle to save even one Test in the series, especially when the hosts win the toss.
“I want to see AB bat but I wouldn’t bother going to the stadium if he gets bad tracks to bat on. Unpredictable tracks reduce batting to a mere chance, negating the skill of an individual totally,” said a cricket enthusiast, who had brought his kids to the South African net session.
While spin and spinning tracks may be giving sleepless nights to the visitors, there’s some good news that would cheer them up ahead of the second Test.
Morne Morkel, who could not play in the first match because of an injury, looks ready for the Bengaluru Test. The tall bowler bowled for a pretty long time in the nets at full throttle without any hint of discomfort.
Apart from him, JP Duminy, who too missed out on the first Test, had a long session on the scuffed-up track and he, too, appeared in no obvious discomfort. If he recovers in time for the second Test, he will lend a lot of strength to South Africa with his batting at No. 6 and pretty effective off-spin.
South Africa will, however, have their fingers crossed over Dale Steyn’s fitness. Their premier pacer spent most of the time on a chair, watching his teammates toil in the nets.
