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South Africa are the only team in present times that come close to the world-conquering levels of West Indies in the 70s or Australia in the 2000s. They have not lost a single Test series away from home in the past 8 years. With India a dominant force at home in Tests, and South Africa being the top-ranked Test side, it makes the upcoming contest one to savor.
The reasons for South Africa doing well in all sorts of surfaces is that they have the right balance to the squad. They have Hashim Amla, who has been a phenomenal Test player, and Faf du Plessis provides stability and have AB de Villers, who is currently the world’s best batsman. Apart from having the right balance in the squad, these players also have the skills to apply themselves to different scenarios of the match, which is why South Africa are a tough team to beat in the longer format of the game.
To support the batsman, South Africa also have a fearsome bowling attack that can take the pitch out of the equation, and pose a threat to oppositions on any sort of wicket. Dale Steyn’s devastating spell at Ahmadabad in 2008, and at Nagpur in 2010 are clear examples of it.
How India can test the batting order
However, it’s going to be a different challenge for South Africa this time when they kick-off the four-match Test series at Mohali on November 5. Although they have tasted success against India in the limited overs format of the game, the Test series will pose a different challenge to the Proteas team.
So far in this series, their batsmen haven’t been tested on typical sub-continental pitches, and if India unleashes rank turners, South Africa’s batsman will feel the pressure. With Ravi Ashwin on top of his game, Amit Mishra too in good form, and Ravi Jadeja making a comeback following a strong performance in Ranji Trophy, it will be an enormous test for South Africa’s batsman.
Twice in their last couple of tours to India, South Africa have lost to India on turning pitches. They were completely out-played at Kanpur in 2008, and didn’t have an answer to Harbhajan Singh in 2010 at Kolkata. Therefore, South Africa will indeed be tested at least in a couple of Test matches in this series.
South Africa will, therefore, be dependent on the batting trio of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villers at critical junctures of the Test series and expect them to come out on top. Hashim Amla has proved to be a good player on turning tracks, AB de Villers has shown the application to adapt to different wickets, and Faf du Plessis has the perfect game to bat on turning pitches, but how will other batsman respond if any of these two batsmen fail to deliver? That’s where the real challenge lies for the visitors.
Steyn’s responsibility to shoulder majority of attacking penetration
Another challenge for South Africa is in the bowling department, where the likes of Veron Philander and Morne Morkel are heavily dependent on the pitch to pose a threat to opposition teams.
Veron Philander is someone who will be effective on pitches that assist seam bowling, and Morkel is someone who would be effective on wickets that provide pace and bounce, but with the conditions likely to aid spinners, it could hamper Morkel and Philanders’ effectiveness. There would be no breeze also to aid Philander as the grounds will be covered by stands, and thus, it would hamper Philanders’ chances of picking wickets with the new ball.
On the other hand, it will also be extremely difficult for Morkel as the surfaces may not provide pace, and bounce, and therefore, the duo may not be a force to reckon with in this Test series.
They also lack quality spinners in the squad to pose a challenge to India’s batsmen on these sorts of conditions. Although they have some spinning options in the form of Imran Tahir, and Simon Harmer, they don’t possess enough skills to trouble the Indian batsmen on these sort of conditions.
South Africa will, therefore, be heavily dependent on Dale Steyn to do the job for South Africa as he has proved to be a world-class bowler in all conditions. He is a bowler who can take the pitch out of the equation, and trouble the batsman, and with him being a good exponent of reverse swing too, South Africa will be heavily dependent on Dale Steyn to have success in India in the longer format of the game.
On the whole, South Africa have a balanced squad for the forthcoming Test series, but if they can pass India’s spin test at critical phases of the series, then India would be pushed on to the back foot; otherwise, India are the firm favorites to win the Test series.
