During an interview with The Hindu at Newlands, on the eve of the second Test, South Africa coach Shukri Conrad spoke of how the wicket was going to turn in the latter part of the match and that he was expecting India to play both R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Ashwin wasn’t picked, while Jadeja’s left-arm spin was not required. And there was no latter part of the five-day match: the game was over in four-and-half sessions.
It proved the shortest completed match in Test history. The wicket was one of the fastest too.
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It would be unkind to suggest that the wicket was designed thus on purpose. It perhaps had more to do with inexperience: the curator was making his Test debut. No advertisement it was for Test cricket, especially when it is being played less and less outside India, England and Australia. But as often is the case, adversity often brings the best out of the best.
Aiden Markram’s 106 off 103 balls will remain one of the greatest knocks in a losing cause. It could not have come sooner for the stylish opener himself or for South Africa, which has to adjust to life after Dean Elgar, the man who opened its Test innings for a decade. The home side should be delighted with the way left-arm quick Nandre Burger and batter David Bedingham debuted in Tests.
India’s debutant, Prasidh Krishna, may not have lived up to the expectations, but, as captain Rohit Sharma pointed out, the Karnataka seamer has the potential. But Jasprit Bumrah, returning to the Test scene playing a Test in after about a year and half, was brilliant, while Mohammed Siraj’s sensational nine-over spell with the new ball set up the win here.
India had sadly missed Mohammed Shami in the first Test at Centurion where the third and fourth seamers were not up to the task. But at Newlands, Siraj could make up for the champion bowler’s absence, and that says a lot about his show with the red ball.
Virat Kohli stood tall again. He presented a masterclass in adapting to the challenging conditions. K.L. Rahul, with his superb hundred at Centurion, reminded us that he remains second only to Kohli technically in this line-up. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal showed they have the base to work on, but have some way to go.
The 1-1 scoreline is a fair reflection of this mini-series of miniature Tests.
