SA Vs IND, 2018: Five Talking Points – Wanderers 3rd Test, Day Two

At stumps on day two of the third and final Test at Bidvest Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday, India posts 39 for one in 14 overs, as the Virat Kohli-led side is leading by 32 runs.

Earlier, Indian bowlers bowled well on a seamer-friendly surface which saw the visitors bundling out the hosts on 194 in 65.5 overs.

The Proteas batters resumed their innings at the overnight score of six for one.

Amla was the top-scorer for the Proteas with 61, as Jasprit Bumrah was the chief architect with the ball after claiming five-wicket haul.

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• The red-ball stung batters
• Markram pulls a stunner to remove Patel
• South Africa had to taste its own medicine
• Bowlers dominated batters
• Wanderers Test evenly poised

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SA vs IND, 2018: Five Talking Points – Navigation Wanderers Test

• Jasprit Bumrah’s five-for:
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fiery spell:
• Hashim Amla solid as a rock:
• Umpires were at the receiving end:
• Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada’s resistance with bat

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Talking Points of the day two at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium:

Jubilant Jasprit Bumrah’s five-for:

The 24-year-old wily customer Jasprit Bumrah in his third Test fixture has bagged the first five-wicket haul while bowling the perfect line and the length.

The Wanderers surface proved to be a paradise for the bowlers once again which further saw visitors making most out of the opportunity to deliver goods after going down 2-0 in the series.

Bumrah finished off his brilliant figures with five for 54 in 18.5 overs.

The right-arm unorthodox bowler Bumrah had outplayed the hosts’ batsmen which further saw the promising bowler bagging the wickets of Hashim Amla, skipper Faf du Plessis, wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, Andile Phehlukwayo before bringing up his maiden five-wicket haul when he dismissed Lungi Ngidi on nought.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fiery spell:

On the other side, the bowling spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved himself once again which he is the best seam bowler, and he becomes double effective on the surface which has enough lateral movement and bounce.

The 27-year-old Bhuvneshwar was dropped for the second Test, however, after the overnight wicket of Aiden Markram, Bhuvneshwar, who went on to generate some pace has dismissed the opening batsman, Dean Elgar, as well after the outside edge settled into the gloves of Parthiv Patel.

Bhuvneshwar, who has been the great learner of the game, had bowled a ripper to AB de Villiers to knock the middle-stump out of the ground when the batting star was batting on five off 19 balls.

The fast bowler sent down 19 overs which saw him bowling nine maidens after conceding 44 runs for his three prized scalps.

Hashim Amla solid as a rock:

On a surface, the batting mainstay of South Africa Hashim Amla played a crucial role for hosts when the ball was doing a lot on the surface which has a tinge of green on it.

The balls kicked off from the cracks which further saw the right-handed batsman Amla receiving one of the balls of Jasprit Bumrah under ribcage before another hit on his hand, but the star batsman kept his cool to go past his fifty and went on to take his side closer to the meagre deficit.

Amla scored 121-ball 61, and his innings included seven boundaries to score at the strike-rate of 50.41.

Umpires were at the receiving end:

The howlers have been part and parcel of the game even when the technology has been introduced in the gentleman’s game.

On the second day, we have witnessed both on-field umpires in the form of Ian Gould and Aleem Dar being under pressure following multiple appeals from the Indian fielders and couple of decisions could have changed the scenario of the game.

The ‘umpire’s call’ has always been a hot debate to talk about which has already witnessed the technology is not hundred percent.

The major loophole that that ‘umpire’s call’ bring to the fore is the benefit of the doubt either to the batsman or bowler in one way or another which can’t be altered until and unless the major portion of the ball won’t hit the stumps.

Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada’s resistance with the bat:

Kagiso Rabada, who came as the night-watchman after the wicket of right-handed opening batsman Markram on the first day, as the former went on to face 84 balls for his hard-earned 30.

Moreover, the left-handed batter Rabada kept his wicket intact for most of the time to frustrate the visiting bowlers.

Rabada struck six boundaries in his cameo before Ajinkya Rahane claimed a spectacular catch in the slip cordon.

After the wickets were falling at regular intervals, Vernon Philander, who is known for playing cameos, knitted a crucial partnership of 44 runs for the seventh wicket with Amla.

The right-handed Philander scored 35 off 55 balls as his innings included five boundaries to score at the strike-rate of 63.64, before perishing when the Proteas score was 175 in 62.2 overs.

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