SA vs IND 2018, 1st Test: Vernon Philander Credits Captain Faf du Plessis for Ravichandran Ashwin's Wicket

South Africa had all but sealed India’s fortunes on the fourth day of the first Test after they had reduced the visitors to 82 for seven. With all the recognised Indian batsmen back in the hut, winning was looking like a mere formality, as the Proteas were defending 208 to go one nil up in the three-match series.

However, the game took an unexpected turn for the hosts when Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar stitched a promising stand. They looked comfortable against Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada and played Keshav Maharaj without much trouble. With nothing working against Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar, Faf du Plessis asked wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock to stand up, and it paid off immediately.

On the very first ball, after de Kock stood up to the stumps, Philander had Ashwin caught behind. One delivery later, he dismissed Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah on consecutive deliveries to finish with career-best figures of 42 for 6 and guide the Proteas to a 72-run win.

Speaking after the game, Philander credited his skipper for coming up with the strategy to dismiss Ashwin.

“You have to be open to those suggestions, but I’ll have to give this one to ‘Faffie’ [Faf du Plessis],” Philander said at the post-match press conference.

“Ashwin, at the time, was batting quite far out of his crease, and the wicket was a touch on the slow side, and the ball was a bit older. I also felt that by pushing him back we could get all three dismissals into play,” he added.

The 49-run stand between Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar must have given the Proteas some nervous moments, but Philander said they backed themselves to break the promising stand.

“You just have to remain calm. We had it in out arsenal to get those last three wickets. The team with the calmer head was going to come out on top. Coming out after Tea I was a bit on the stiff side, and I had to bowl two or three overs to get myself going. Just before that last over I bowled, ‘Faffie’ was going to bowl Morne, and I said to him, ‘Listen, I’m actually warm now, so just give me one more’. Luckily it paid off,” he noted.

India had given themselves a big chance to win the series-opener after picking up eight wickets for just 65 runs on the fourth day to dismiss the hosts for just 130.

However, the visitors’ hopes of registering a famous win were all but ended within the first hour of their chase when Philander rocked their top-order. With only 208 runs to defend, Philander said he wanted to make a difference by pegging India back with early wickets.

“When you look at the score that we had to defend, someone has to make a play. You can’t wait for later on in the game because there might not be a later on. I just wanted to bowl overs up front and get us into a good position. I just wanted to make a difference in the field,” he said.

Philander further heaped praise on Newlands curator Evan Flint for preparing a good wicket, saying:

“I’ll give him some of the MoM fees. Look, like I said, it’s a wonderful place to play cricket. I don’t think it was an overly aggressive wicket – there were times when it was flat, and players could get in and get runs.”

Here is the news feed:

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SA vs IND 2018: Three Turning Points on Day Four

Catch India’s tour to South Africa here.

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