South Africa vs India 2018: 5 talking points from the Newlands Test

Both teams' fortunes kept swinging like a pendulum and in the end India lost a golden opportunity to script one of the famous victory outside sub-continent. India’s bowlers responded brilliantly on the fourth morning to skittle out South Africa for 130, which included 8-65 in the morning session.

The middle session saw India lose 7 wickets and the game once again swung in favour of the home side.

Both the team fortunes kept swinging like a pendulum and in the end India lost a golden opportunity to script one of the famous victory outside sub-continent. India’s bowlers responded brilliantly on the fourth morning to skittle out South Africa for 130, which included 8-65 in the morning session. The middle session saw India lose 7 wickets and the game once again swung in favor of the home side.

Let’s look at the five talking points from the exciting first Test at Newlands.

Both teams went in with five bowling options

There was some disbelief among a few experts during the toss when Kohli and du Plessis announced their playing XI. While South Africa opted to go with a four-pronged pace attack along with a left arm spinner in Keshav Maharaj, India decided to include the all-rounder Hardik Pandya and hand over the debut to slinging fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. But the bigger decision was to include Rohit Sharma in place of Ajinkya Rahane, who has a very good record outside Asia.

Kohli’s gamble of playing five bowling options looked a positive move but that meant the team was a batsman short. In conditions that help the bowlers, it’s always good to have that cushion of an extra batsman because more often than not, the fifth bowler will have very little to do. I feel both teams got it wrong with the team combination by playing a batsman short.

AB de Villiers in a different league

South Africa Captain Faf du Plessis must have been a worried man after electing to bat first on an overcast morning at Newlands. Inside 5 overs, the home side realised that this Indian bowling attack was very different to the teams that had toured the Rainbow Nation earlier. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was making the ball talk and had reduced South Africa to 12-3. At that point, the whole of South Africa would have hoped for someone to play the old fashioned Test match batting, absorbing the pressure and wearing out the opposition bowlers.

But AB de Villiers chose to counte- attack and in one over delivered by the bowler who was doing all the damage, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he scored 4 boundaries and showed the world he belonged to a different league.

The South African superstar, who returned to Test cricket after a break, hit two cover drives and hammered two slightly short ones through the point region to show his intent. Along with du Plessis, the pair put on 112 runs for the fourth wicket and in the end, the partnership had a huge impact in the outcome of the Test.

Hardik Pandya gives India a chance

South Africa celebrate the wicket of Hardik Pandya

After bowling out South Africa for 286, India were staring down the barrel with the bat when the four-man pace attack was too hot for the visiting side to handle. At that stage, it looked at an all-too-familiar tale of India collapsing yet again outside sub-continent.

That was when Hardik Pandya decided to change the script as he took the game by the scruff of the neck.

Although he was given a few chances, a missed catch and a stumping, the all-rounder displayed great ball striking skills against the quick men. When they decided to pepper him with short balls, he cut, pulled and wasn’t shying away from playing the ramp shot over the keeper. Even though he fell 7 short of his three figure mark, his innings brought India back into the contest.

Indian bowlers come out firing on day 4

Bhuvneshwar Kumar [file photo] got the ball to move well

South Africa were in the ascendency at the start of day 4 with a lead of 142 and 8 wickets in the second innings standing. India were desperate to have a good day in the field to garner hopes of staying alive in the Test.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was getting the ball to move as always, Mohammad Shami bowled with a lot of energy and made the improvement of bowling a lot fuller as against little short in the first innings. But the ball of the day was delivered by Jasprit Bumrah to dismiss South Africa's skipper Faf du Plessis with a snorter that kicked off a good length and all that the batsman could do was edge it to keeper Saha.

The Indian bowlers were relentless and that ensured South Africa kept losing wickets at regular intervals and in the end, were bowled out for 130 inside the first session.

Big Vern claims his Test career best

South Africa v India - First Test Day 1 - 2018 Freedom Series

Vernon Philander isn't blessed with the pace of a Kagiso Rabada or a Morne Morkel but his strength lies in moving the ball off the seam and on his home turf in Newlands. The big fast bowler could not have got a more appropriate time to deliver his best in Test cricket.

Of all the 6 wickets, Philander would have enjoyed Indian skipper Virat Kohli's dismissal the most, not because he's the best batsman in the opposition but the way he set him up for the dismissal was a classic. Knowing Kohli's weakness outside off stump and his tendency to poke, Philander kept moving the ball away from the right hander and in that corridor.

Kohli knew what was coming and was intent in leaving the ball alone to the keeper. This was when Philander showed his class - after about 13 deliveries moving away, he got one to swing back and more importantly was right on the money. By the time Kohli could react, it was too late and the ball had hit the front pad just under the knee roll.

Philander was so confident that he didn't bother to turn around to check with the umpire if he had the raised the finger. Philander finished with 6-42 and appropriately got the final Indian wicket.