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SA vs India, 4th Test: The real South Africa finally shows up in India

SA vs India, 4th Test: The real South Africa finally shows up in India

It has taken two embarrassing defeats and tethering on the brink of another, but South Africa have finally showed up in India. While it might be too little, too late, it is a reminder – to themselves as much as anyone – that they are still the number one team in the world, and that they can play like it. By ANTOINETTE MULLER.

By the time you are reading this on Monday morning, South Africa could very well be all out, and this writer could very well look very stupid, but it is a risk we are willing to take. After three Tests, two embarrassing losses and batting ineptitude to rival some Sunday social league teams, the real South Africa has finally showed up in India.

Why it has taken the Proteas this long to find even an ounce of bottle in their Test series against India, only they will know, but it must be a huge relief knowing they have not all suddenly lost their collective mojo. India have piled the misery on South Africa to date, and did more of it on day four as the hosts batted and batted South Africa’s bowlers into oblivion. Virat Kohli allowed Ajinkya Rahane to bat until he reached his century, and India reached 267, with a lead of well over 450 in the bag. Kohli was probably expecting to have his feet up by tea, but it was not to be.

From seemingly nowhere, Temba Bavuma, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers found the concentration and application which has gotten them out of the soup countless of times before. For any passive cricket fan, it was torture. For those who love the longest format of the game, it was a delight. South Africa made it to close of play on day for on 72-2, and while there is still miles to go in this Test, at least they showed some fight. Forget Dean Elgar being dismissed early, the opening berth was all about Bavuma. The usually middle-order batsman was thrown into the deep end being asked to open in this Test.

Anyone who might have suggested that he was being set up for failure would not have been scoffed at. Yet, Bavuma showed application and patience well beyond his experience and while he managed just 34 runs, the name of the game was defence. Bavuma has almost certainly given the selectors another headache with Stiaan van Zyl having flopped like a fish on land in tough conditions, the opening slot is up for grabs when England come around to these shores in just a few weeks, but that is another day’s worries. For now, Bavuma can give himself on a pat on the back for doing a good job at getting through what he termed “the toughest batting he’s ever had to do in his life”.

“I always try to be positive but with the runs not being the priority, time was the key and that was tough for me. The toughest part is when I have to against my natural instinct, which is to score runs. Here, the main thing is time. It’s not the runs and batting time is quite tough,” said Bavuma.

But he was not the only one who had to go against his natural instinct. For 207 balls, Amla watched, waited, poked, prodded, flinched and just on a few occasions, flayed. The scoreboard might suggest that it was “boring”, but it was everything but. With every dot ball, there was a sigh of relief for South African fans. For as long as Amla mounted himself to the crease, seemingly unmovable and completely unflappable, you could not help but remain glued to the TV screen even though nothing was happening to the scoreboard. He finished the day unbeaten on 23, with a strike rate of 11.11, the lowest for any batsman facing more than 200 deliveries in Tests.

Once Bavuma had departed, he passed the baton to De Villiers. Usually known for his flamboyant approach to batting where things that seem other worldly just keeps on happening to him, De Villiers stifled his urges to be attacking and set up defensive shop. Like Amla, he was a picture of concentration, and grinded his way to an unbeaten 11 off 91 balls by the close of play.

There is a long way to go in this Test, but South Africa have snatched safety from the jaws of defeat before. Just last year, they batted for 111 overs in Colombo to draw the second Test against Sri Lanka and claim a series victory. They trudged along at just 1.43 runs an over with Amla and Philander stonewalling some crafty spin. This time, the task is arguably much tougher. There is no series win up for grabs, toughing it out here is all about freeing themselves from the mental capitulation which has gripped them on this tour. Getting out of the slump before England visit here in just a few weeks as important as that old cliché of “playing for pride”. DM

Scorecard summary:

South Africa 121 and 72-2 (Amla 23*, de Villiers 11*) need 409 runs to beat India 334 and 267-5 dec (Rahane 100*, Kohli 88, Morkel 3-51)

Photo: South Africa’s captain Hashim Amla attends a practice session ahead of their fourth and final test cricket match against India, in New Delhi, India, December 2, 2015. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee

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