SA vs IND 2018: Unusual Dampness on Wanderers Pitch had Left Indian Camp Fuming

After all the controversies and debate which marred the time between the controversial end to the third day and the start of the fourth day of the last Test between India and South Africa, the Proteas began the proceedings on the penultimate note on an unexpected note.

Speculations were rife that India would easily get rid of the hosts on a pitch which behaved like a minefield.

However, the action unfolded on an unexpected note with Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla starting the chase solidly. The duo snatched the momentum in the hosts’ favour by adding 52 runs in the first session and had gone on to add 119 runs which were the first and the only century stand in the entire match.

The partnership came to an end when Ishant Sharma dismissed Hashim Amla. After that, it was one-way traffic, as India took the next eight wickets for just 53 runs to win the game. But while the match seemed like a matter of breaking one partnership in the final innings and taking the remaining wickets, the Indian team-management holds a different view over the way the game proceeded on day four.

According to ESPNcricinfo,  a team source has claimed the Indian team was left fuming with the dampness on the pitch on the fourth morning. The team thinks that the surprising dampness on the surface made the bowlers toil hard for the wickets.

The source said the pitch on day four was the flattest out of all the days of the Test. The start of day four was delayed by an hour due to heavy overnight rain.

Cricketer-turned-commentator, Mike Haysman also pointed India’s displeasure over the dampness in the pitch.

“The other thing they are worried about, which is interesting, is that the pitch is a little bit… just a slight bit of dampness on the top of the surface,” Haysman had said in his report on SuperSport, announcing a delay in the start of play. “That’s all. With a bit of sun, I guess there is no breeze… So just a slight bit of dampness on the top of the grass.”

The surprising dampness was, however, defended by Gauteng Cricket Board source who said,

“The ground staff normally remove the covers by 7 am, but because of the rain they removed it later with the result that the normal sweating under the covers had not completely dried by 10 am,” the source told ESPNcricinfo.

However, the Indian camp feels the sweating was unusual.

“When we looked at the pitch first thing in the morning, it was wet,” an India team source told the news outlet. “It was very wet to the touch.”

“The way the ball misbehaved after tea, it should have started that after the first half hour,” the source added.

It took India some time to break the Proteas’ resistance, but when they finally did, it did not take them long to run through the remaining lineup.

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