Indian captain Rohit Sharma said he didn’t mind playing on pitches like the one at Newlands in Cape Town for the second test against South Africa as long as “people keep their mouths shut about Indian pitches which turn on day one.”
It was the shortest test in history spanning a total of just 107 overs as South Africa were bowled out for 55 and 176 with India making 153 and 80-3 as they secured a series-levelling seven-wicket victory before tea on the second day having lost by an innings and 32-runs on another seamer-friendly pitch in the first match in Centurion.
“I don’t mind pitches like this, test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and the ultimate test, you have to be up for the challenge, but people must keep their mouths shut about Indian pitches. It will be interesting to see how the match referee rates this pitch, they must be neutral and rate pitches on what they see, not the country,” Rohit said.
“It is difficult for the batters in this country in these conditions. We discussed it before the series, that if you have to take a blow to the body or two, be ready for it. But if people complain that Indian pitches turn on the first day, but it’s ok if it seams and bounces on the first day, that’s not fair – in my opinion,” Rohit said.
1⃣-1⃣
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 4, 2024
A well-fought Test Series between the two teams comes to an end 👏👏#TeamIndia | #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/pTsYsYoKGt
“Aiden (Markram) scored a superb century but the bowlers were excellent on both sides and Jasprit Bumrah (6-61) showed his class and quality on the second morning. Although we knew that 98-run lead on first innings would be important, there was still tension because they could have scored enough runs in the second innings to put us under pressure.
“Even chasing a small total like 79, strange things happen in cricket in conditions like this, so it was still a relief to get over the line and win the match,” Rohit said.
Markram concurred that “…the bowlers on both sides were superb and it was a handful for all the batters. When the ball went past the bat you just had to laugh it off and concentrate on the next one, you just had to find a way to score some runs,” said Markram whose 106 dwarfed the next highest score in the innings, 12 by the retiring Dean Elgar.
WHAT A 💯 AIDEN MARKRAM! https://t.co/pLPYk8gO2A | #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/6JbDLQ0CSY
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 4, 2024
It was the greatest disparity in scores between a centurion and the second highest scorer in the history of test cricket.
“It was a shock to the system,” said SA test coach Shukri Conrad.
“I was talking to (Indian coach) Rahul Dravid this morning and we agreed that a lot of the batting skill required in test cricket has been lost because of the T20 and the fact that batters like to feel bat on ball for much of their innings.
“But the ethics and values of test cricket are lost on a pitch like this where you require more luck than skill to survive. It was not good – the cricket or the pitch,” Conrad said.
But he refused to blame the ground staff or his players: “I know the head groundsman well and he is a good man and good at his job. But good people are allowed to make mistakes and I had to apologise to (batter) Tristan Stubbs for giving him his debut on a pitch like this,” Conrad said.
Asked whether he would have been happy with a 1-1 shared series before it started, Conrad mused: “It’s a difficult one to answer. I certainly wouldn’t have accepted it after we thrashed them in the first test, but it’s a fair result.”
One frame is not enough to describe what you meant to the game of cricket 🏏🇿🇦
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 4, 2024
Today marks the end of a great international career 👏
You are a true L.E.G.E.N.D Deano. Happy Retirement 😅#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/MHeKxWgcP0