131 all out: South Africa pacers flatten Indian batting line-up to win by an innings and 32 runs
Centurion.
Virat Kohli played a ball to Dean Elgar in the off side and set off for two runs. Jasprit Bumrah, having run two the previous ball, and far from the most fleet-footed between the wickets, had almost no chance of getting back.
The throw was not a particularly good one, but Kagiso Rabada, the bowler, gathered it and broke the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
The second run was ill-judged. The second run was completely unnecessary and irrelevant in the context of the game.
The second run was an exercise in self-harm.
But, that was the story of India’s Test match. At the end of the second day, it was two inexperienced bowlers who had to shoulder a large portion of the blame.
And, hand to heart, they will cop to it. But, what about a batting line-up that is largely experienced, brimming with talent and ability, comprehensively failing to adopt an approach that gave themselves any chance of succeeding? Who will take responsibility for that?
Each batsman in this team is given the liberty to find a way of playing that will allow them to score runs in a variety of conditions. When they do the job, especially the top order, it allows the captain to put pressure on the opposition and gives the bowlers a chance to get to work.
That never happened in this Test.
Trailing by 163, India began as poorly as possible. Rohit Sharma lined up a delivery that was slanted into him by Rabada and shaped to play to the on side, only for the ball to move away a touch after pitching and take out the off stump.
Yashasvi Jaiswal could not get his gloves out of the way when faced with a Nandre Burger lifter. This after he was dropped off the very first ball of the second innings.
Shubman Gill essayed a few pleasing shots before
