South Africa vs India, 2nd Test, Day 4 - 5 Talking Points

Just the way it happened in the first Test, South Africa has managed to pick up early wickets and put a severe amount of pressure on the Indians. The pitch seems to be doing a lot of things as well, which ain’t assisting the batsmen. The Proteas bowlers seemingly are relishing the challenge of bowling on these decks and though India is 252 runs adrift, it seems like they are light years behind.

From Kohli getting fined to Lungisani Ngidi ripping apart the Indian top 3, it has been a terrific day for the hosts. It all began with a spectacular knock from their skipper and things only got brilliant for them. AB de Villiers once again played a decent knock and is proving to be lethal on his comeback.

Here are the five talking points of the penultimate day.

1. Ngidi ends the day on a high!

Lungisani Ngidi was supposedly the weak link in their lineup. But as it turned out, he made a significant difference towards the end of the day, picking up the wickets of KL Rahul and Kohli. He bowled three out-swingers to Kohli and allowed one to nip back in. That ball kept low as well and he got the big fish in the most outstanding ways possible. He clearly was elated and he’d be looking to grab more scalps towards on day 5.

2. Mohammed Shami – The Game Changer!

South Africa was absolutely cruising with AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar in the middle. The duo looked in great touch and threatened to take the game away. But Mohammed Shami had other ideas and sent both these players back in quick succession. It was a terrific effort coming from the Bengal Pacer, who finished with 4 wickets.

3. Du Plessis stands tall

Skipper Faf du Plessis’ approach was slightly under the scanner, but he stood tall against a lineup who posed serious questions. Frankly, if it had not been for his effort, India would’ve had a target lesser than 250. The ball kept doing things, but his application and focus were spot on. He finished just two runs shy of what would’ve been a scintillating half-century.

4. Half chances which went in the hosts favor

During the Proteas’ second innings, Indian bowlers created a couple of half chances which eventually were grassed. It’d be harsh to call them “Drops”, but the scenario would’ve been very different right now because both those chances were of Faf du Plessis. Jasprit Bumrah eventually dismissed him, but he dropped a rebound off his own bowling prior to the dismissal. Another one came at leg slip, where the ball went very quickly and popped out of a diving Rahul’s left hand.

5. Ashwin struggles in the second innings

After an excellent display in the first innings, Ravichandran Ashwin found it really difficult to pick wickets in the second innings. Although many didn’t expect the pitch to assist him as much as it did, he did get some turn in the second innings. He got his first wicket in the 30th over and the victim was the tailender Ngidi.

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