Fifteen years ago, Rahul Dravid was the leader of the side when India had last led 1-0 in a three-Test series in South Africa. But in spite of winning the opening Test in Johannesburg, the then India team couldn’t bag the series as they had lost the next two Tests.
More than a decade later, having returned to the India set up as head coach of the team, Dravid finds his wards in a similar situation: one up in the series and looking to carry forward the momentum into the second and penultimate Test beginning on Monday at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, a venue where India have an impressive record when it comes to the game’s longest format.
It’s certainly a favourable situation for Virat Kohli, though he’s unlikely to be too pleased with his own form with the bat as well as with what has been going around lately about his ‘cold war’ with the BCCI brass. Nevertheless, being the only India captain besides Dravid to have a Test victory at the Wanderers, Kohli should be quite optmistic of his team doing the needful at team’s happy hunting ground.
Though it was an inconsequential game in 2018, which India had won at the Wanderers after losing the first two Tests, they had beaten a South African side having a lot more quality in their ranks. The current Proteas side, led by Dean Elgar, is not even a shadow of that Faf du Plessis-led team, which had also defeated Australia in the home Tests in the same season after winning 2-1 against India.
On paper, thus, India’s bid to wrap up things up in Johannesburg over the next few days and record a historic series victory doesn’t look to be too difficult. Besides, South Africa’s batting gets weakened with the sudden retirement of Quinton de Kock from Test cricket, which he announced a little while after the Proteas lost the series opener by 113 runs.
Even with the ball, South Africa are playing with effectively two bowlers, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. Agreed, Keshav Maharaj is a decent left-arm spinner, but he won’t be getting enough overs in the prevalent conditions. One-Test old Marco Jansen is promising but has a tendency to bowl too many loose balls. It remains to be seen whether they bring in pacer Duanne Olivier, who missed the first Test due to a hamstring niggle and Covid-19 after-effects, in place of all-rounder Wiaan Mulder or Maharaj.
However, irrespective of the XI South Africa field, India are quite assured of the job they need to keep doing.
“It looks like a typical Wanderers wicket. There might be something in it for the bowlers, as there usually is. It might flatten out a bit and then batting does get a little bit hard towards the end,” coach Dravid said on Test eve.
Pujara’s form
Though India have nothing really to worry much in terms of their bowling, batting remains an issue that troubled the team to an extent in the first Test as well. Cheteshwar Pujara’s continuous struggle doesn’t really bode well for him or for the team, but it won’t be surprising if India give their No.3 batsman one more chance instead of bringing in Hanuma Vihari or Shreyas Iyer in the middle.
Going by Dravid’s words, Pujara still seems to be having the head coach’s support. “I hate using the word concern (for Pujara). I think he’s doing the best he can.
“Certainly, he would like to have scored more runs as someone like him sets really nice standards for himself. He would like to replicate that, but sometimes it doesn’t happen, and it’s not a question of being worried,” Dravid said.
l Match starts: 1.30pm (IST). Live on Star Sports
