Ken Borland

Shardul Thakur ripped through the South African first innings with record figures before India withstood a fiery burst from the Proteas pacemen to reach 85/2 at stumps on the second day of the second Test at the Wanderers on Tuesday.

Thakur, India’s fourth seamer but fulfilling a key role as Mohammed Siraj was limited to just six overs on Tuesday due to a hamstring strain, claimed wonderful figures of 7/61 in 17.5 overs as the Proteas were bowled out for 229. They are the best ever figures for an Indian bowler against South Africa, beating the 7/66 off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took at Nagpur in 2015/16.

Leading by 27 runs on first innings, Marco Jansen and Duanne Olivier then each took a wicket before Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane added 41 as India finished the second day 58 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand.

Resuming on 35/1, Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen withstood a frustrating pitch for batsmen given the variable bounce and excessive movement off the surface, adding 74 for the second wicket to take the Proteas to 88/1. India, missing a bowler, were starting to feel the pressure as the morning burst from Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah had been weathered.

But Thakur, a bustling bowler of brisk pace, then roared through the top-order, taking three wickets in 16 deliveries, without conceding a run. Elgar was caught behind for a 170-minute 28 and Petersen scored a determined but positive 62, his maiden Test half-century in his sixth innings, before driving loosely and edging a catch to second slip.

Thakur’s third wicket was that of Rassie van der Dussen (1), who was given out caught behind on what became the last ball before lunch, having inside-edged a delivery that jagged back into him, and bounced more than expected, on to his back leg, from where it went to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

But the South African camp were angered by the umpires not checking whether the catch was legitimate, replays showing the ball had bounced in front of Pant’s gloves. It was the second time in the morning session that he had claimed a catch on the bounce.

From 102/4 at lunch, Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne added 60 for the fifth wicket. But Thakur’s return half-an-hour before tea saw South Africa suffer two further setbacks as he trapped a leaden-footed Verreynne lbw for a useful 21 and then had Bavuma caught behind for 51, glancing a lifter down the leg-side and Pant taking a fine diving catch. It was Bavuma’s 17^th Test half-century and he once again showed his grittiness and ability to make tough runs.

Jansen and Keshav Maharaj also made 21s to ensure India began their second innings marginally behind. They lost their openers inside the first dozen overs, Lokesh Rahul (8) being well-caught inches off the turf by Aiden Markram at second slip off left-armer Jansen, and Mayank Agarwal (23) shouldering arms to Olivier and being trapped lbw.

But the positive Pujara, who has hit seven fours off 42 balls, repelled an aggressive South African attack to shift the momentum again before stumps.

South Africa’s four-pronged fast bowling attack snuffed out India’s batsmen in two-and-a-half sessions on the first day of the second Test at the Wanderers on Monday, but then the Proteas own top-order weaknesses were put through a strenuous examination by the tourists’ powerful pace trio.

India, having won the toss and batted, were bowled out for 202 as Marco Jansen took 4/31 and Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier claimed the other six wickets.

South Africa then reached 35/1 at stumps, with Aiden Markram failing again as he was trapped lbw by Mohammed Shami for seven. It meant Keegan Petersen (14*) again came to the crease inside the first five overs, but he did well to survive to the close with captain Dean Elgar (11*).

The Proteas again made a slow start with the new ball as India openers Lokesh Rahul and Mayank Agarwal put on 36 in the first hour. It was Lungi Ngidi who created the first feelings of pressure with two maidens in his first four overs and Jansen reaped the benefits as he had Agarwal caught behind for 26 with the first ball after morning drinks.

Olivier produced a fiery second spell that saw him remove Cheteshwar Pujara (3) and Ajinkya Rahane (0) with successive deliveries as India stumbled to lunch on 53/3.

Opener Rahul, captaining India for the first time in the absence of Virat Kohli, who withdrew just before the toss due to back problems, seems to have batted for weeks in this series already, and, following his crucial century in the first Test, he occupied the crease for three-and-a-half hours on Monday, scoring 50 before he was athletically caught by Rabada at the fine leg boundary off Jansen.

Rassie van der Dussen also took a spectacular one-handed catch at short-leg to remove Hanuma Vihari for 20 off Rabada.

A fiery 46 off 50 balls by Ravichandran Ashwin lifted India to respectability, but the rest of the Proteas pacemen were just too hot for the batsmen.

Markram seems to have lost his old technical assurance against the new ball as he planted the front leg and tried to play what was basically a straight ball from Shami far too square on the leg-side.

But Elgar was playing with his usual defiant composure and sensible shot-selection as he withstood 57 deliveries, and Petersen also looked focused for 39 balls, except when he slashed at Jasprit Bumrah when he had 12 and was fortunate to be dropped by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, high to his right.

India suffered a blow when Mohammed Siraj hobbled from the field in the penultimate over, clutching his hamstring.

The frustrating injury to ace fast bowler Anrich Nortje has led to left-arm quick Marco Jansen getting his first call-up to the Proteas ODI squad, but whatever starting XI South Africa choose against India, there are bound to be some disgruntled bowlers.

South Africa and India meet in three ODIs from January 19, following the end of the Test series. With two of the matches being played in Paarl and one at Newlands, conditions should suit the Proteas’ new-found enthusiasm for a strong spin-bowling contingent, with both Tabraiz Shamsi, their leading ODI wicket-taker in 2021, and Keshav Maharaj, the vice-captain, playing.

But India’s batsmen relish taking on spin bowling and there may be a desire to target them with pace. In which case, who do you leave out: Maharaj or Shamsi?

There are also three out-and-out all-rounders in the squad in Andile Phehlukwayo, who bashed a superb 48 not out off just 22 balls against the Netherlands in his last match, T20 World Cup star Dwaine Pretorius and the resurgent Wayne Parnell. But unless one of them bats in the top six, or plays as a frontline quick instead of Lungi Ngidi, there is unlikely to be room for more than one of them at a time.

South Africa’s top six is pretty settled though, with Janneman Malan establishing himself as Quinton de Kock’s opening partner, Aiden Markram slotting into the middle-order alongside Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen, and David Miller continuing as an evergreen finisher.

India announced their squad on December 31 and even though they are without injured players Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, and Mohammed Shami will be rested, it is going to be an exacting task for the Proteas.

As ever, much focus will be on their batsmen and Kyle Verreynne and Zubayr Hamza are waiting in the wings. Hamza seems to have leapfrogged Reeza Hendricks in the pecking order, the national selectors demanding more than an average of 25.68 and a strike-rate of 76.76 in 24 ODIs.

Other players who are out in the cold at present are left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks, spinner George Linde and Test all-rounder Wiaan Mulder.

Of the second-string squad that was selected for the ill-fated ODI series against the Netherlands at the end of November, fast bowlers Daryn Dupavillon and Junior Dala, and batsmen Ryan Rickelton and Khaya Zondo have also been omitted. Paceman Lizaad Williams is still out injured.

Proteas squad: Quinton de Kock, Kyle Verreynne, Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Zubayr Hamza, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala, Marco Jansen.

It was in December 2013 ahead of a Test against India at the Wanderers that former Proteas coach Russell Domingo spoke about the DNA of South African and Indian teams and how pace bowling was the strength of the home side and the weakness of the subcontinent team.

“They have always had issues playing pace in South Africa and that is what history shows. It is a South African strength. It is the way that we were brought up playing cricket,” Domingo said.

“Subcontinent sides will always turn to spin and South Africans will turn to pace because that is in our DNA. Having a four-pronged pace attack is important for us against a country like India in our conditions.”

An epic Test match followed in which India dominated the South African bowling, Virat Kohli scoring 119 and 96 and Cheteshwar Pujara confirming his pedigree as a special player with 153, his first century overseas. An incredible final innings saw the Proteas flirt with chasing down 458, before settling for a noble draw on 450/7.

Although South Africa then won in Durban to win the two-match series, India had shown they were on the brink of rustling up a pace attack fit to compare with any in the world. When they returned to the Wanderers in 2018, they beat the Proteas by 63 runs with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami both getting five-wicket hauls.

Now the tourists are back at a venue where South Africa have not been able to beat them in five attempts, India actually winning at the Bullring in 2006 and 2018. And India showed in the first Test at Centurion just how wonderful their current pace attack is, and it is the Proteas batsmen who have the issues trying to handle the heat.

Out-bowled as well as out-batted at SuperSport Park, South Africa may well consider playing an all-pace attack at the Wanderers; with Quinton de Kock already having to be replaced, Duanne Olivier coming in for spinner Keshav Maharaj as the only change would be the least disruptive selection.

But Maharaj, even though he is not a broad-chested alpha-male in the mould of a Graeme Smith or Jacques Kallis, is an important leader in the team and captain Dean Elgar has spoken of his reluctance not to have him in his XI.

As much as Marco Jansen has shown he can deliver useful runs as a batsman, No.7 is surely too high for him at this fledgling stage of his career. So South Africa will have to choose between having four frontline seamers and an all-rounder (Wiaan Mulder) at 7, three specialist pacemen, a spinner and an all-rounder, or just four bowlers, including Maharaj, and an extra specialist batsman.

Needing to deliver a win at the Wanderers to maintain their hopes of winning the series, the Proteas should perhaps put the responsibility of bowling much better than they did on the first day of the first Test, and getting 20 wickets, on four bowlers and thereby strengthening the fragile batting with someone like Ryan Rickelton coming in at No.7.

Kyle Verreynne is likely to replace De Kock at No.6 and the uncapped Rickelton, who is a top-order batsman for the Central Gauteng Lions, has scored centuries in his previous two innings at the Wanderers.