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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels mistakes made by South African bowlers allowed Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer to form a crucial partnership for India on Day 1 of the ongoing Test in Centurion on Tuesday.
The visitors were reeling at 24/3 when Kohli and Iyer got together and steadied the ship, adding 68 runs for the fourth wicket. However, Manjrekar believes the hosts allowed India to claw their way back into the game with some inconsistent bowling.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after the end of play on Day 1, here's what Sanjay Manjrekar had to say about the partnership between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer:
"Virat Kohli looked really good, really compact, and brought his experience to the fore. What worked for him and Shreyas Iyer was that the South African bowlers bowled a bit wayward and that helped the batters a bit. Iyer also showed the character to go for his shots and look to cash in on every run-scoring opportunity."
"Bowl the line outside the off stump": Sanjay Manjrekar on Kagiso Rabada's performance
South African speedster Kagiso Rabada bagged another five-wicket haul as he had India on the mat right after the lunch break. He sent both the set batters, Kohli and Iyer, back to the pavilion and piled more pressure on the visitors in the second session before KL Rahul's fightback (70*).
Explaining what Rabada did better than the other South African bowlers, Sanjay Manjrekar opined:
"Even in the first session, Rabada bowled a great spell. But he didn't get support from the other three pacers as they bowled inconsistent lengths. I have never seen South African bowling with such strategy. What has always worked for them is that they bowl the line outside the off stump and play the patient game. That's exactly what Rabada did after lunch and he reaped the rewards."
Rabada recorded figures of 44/5 in 17 overs while debutant Nandre Burger chipped in with two wickets. Marco Jansen scalped one wicket in 15 overs. India were at 208/8 at the end of Day 1 and South Africa will be hoping to wrap up their innings as soon as possible on Day 2.
