Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami (R) celebrates after the dismissal of South African cricketer Temba Bavuma (L) during the fifth day's play of the first Test match between India and South Africa at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on October 6, 2019. - India's spin king Ravichandran Ashwin on October 6 joined Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan as the fastest bowler to 350 Test wickets in the first match against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. (Photo by NOAH SEELAM / AFP) / ----IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE-----
A predictable Proteas top and middle order collapse ensured India continued their painful dominance in Tests on the sub-continent, winning the first Test in Visakhapatnam by 203 runs on Sunday.
While a victory target of 395 was never going to be a realistic aim, South Africa’s frontline batsman need to take responsibility for not at least showing more fight.
That call is wholly justified given how the ninth-wicket pair of debutant Senuran Muthusamy and Dane Piedt played with patience, guts and some skill to delay the home side’s drive towards a win.
Piedt, who has copped a fair amount of criticism for what was rightly some toothless off-spin in both innings, made up for that embarrassment with a fine, maiden Test fifty.
The Cobras stalwart chanced his arm and few times and showed some solid defence, hitting nine fours and a six in his 56.
Interestingly, Piedt broke the record for the highest score in a fourth innings in India for any player batting at No 8 or lower.
In contrast, Muthusamy (49 not out) wasn’t particularly fluent, but nonetheless showed the type of application that could make him a decent exponent should be become more comfortable at the highest level of the game.
Together, the pair saved the Proteas from the horror of being 70/8.
The canny Ravindra Jadeja once again bowled his left-arm spin effectively to be highlight the visitors’ continued weakness against a turning ball, finishing with figures of 4/87.
Yet it was Mohammad Shami’s (5/35) seamers that broke the spine of South Africa’s batting.
Temba Bavuma’s dismissal was fortunate as that delivery kept very low, but his gems to dislodge Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were superb to witness.
Du Plessis left one that jagged back sharply and hit the stumps, while De Kock pushed at a ball he thought was going to move across him, only to straighten and rattle the bails.
It was he that also castled Piedt.
Aiden Markram was the only specialist batsman to make any fist, scoring a punchy if somewhat iffy 39 before he was brilliantly caught by Jadeja off his own bowling.
The tweaker then bamboozled both Vernon Philander and Keshav Maharaj with successive LBWs, effectively ending any hopes of survival.
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