Old habits die hard, ask Rohit Sharma. India needed a sound innings from their captain to provide the momentum on the opening day of the series but an error in judgement opened the gates for the home bowlers.
Sunil Gavaskar had sounded a note of warning much before the series against South Africa got underway at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday.
The legendary opener realised Rohit would need to make the mental adjustment on his return to Test cricket following his sensational flamboyant approach in the ODI World Cup.
“For Test cricket, he has to change his approach completely because he has to
think in terms of batting the whole day,” the former captain cautioned.
Rohit averages 14.22 in his five previous Test matches in South Africa and faced a huge challenge on a green surface under overcast conditions. There was movement in the air and off the wicket as the South Africans worked up significant pace and bounce to unsettle India’s top-order.
The second delivery from Marco Jansen kicked up from a length to Rohit’s surprise and he showed patience in leaving deliveries outside the off stump. Still he nearly nicked Kagiso Rabada’s full length ball after slashing him through point for a boundary.
The movement off the seam was troubling Rohit a fair bit. Having played seven consecutive dot balls, he waited for an opportunity to launch an offensive. Test cricket does call for restraint but Rohit has always been guided by natural instincts.
As Rabada unleased a short delivery, the India captain couldn’t rein in his impulse. He knew South Africa had done their homework by positioning a long leg but he fell for the bait. This was not limited overs cricket with the field restrictions but nothing could stop Rohit from not playing the pull on the day.
It was his way of shifting the pressure on the opposition and he took the plunge. He sensed an opportunity there but it misfired and landed straight into the hands of debutant Nandre Burger.
South Africa sensed a chance and pounced on it. Yashasvi Jaiswal realised playing on lively overseas surfaces was entirely different and needed a test of technique and temperament. Shubman Gill was slow on his feet movement in nicking behind.
Shreyas Iyer’s false sense of belief that he can handle shortpitched stuff returned to haunt him again. While such failings are best hidden in white-ball cricket, Tests brutally exposes the limitations.
Iyer was tied inside his crease when Rabada’s express pace clattered his stumps. His cluttered mind even forced Virat Kohli to prod him to watch the bowler’s hand.
Only Kohli showed some sense and responsibility but Rabada’s peach of a delivery ended his confident knock after lunch. It was perfectly pitched and drew Kohli forward only to jag away late to take the outside edge.
Kohli’s class showed as the rest, barring KL Rahul, struggled to adjust in their switch from limited overs format to red ball cricket. It wasn’t easy since the conditions were alien and the batters refused to curb their intuition.
The transformation must happen quickly to harbour chances of a turnaround.
