South Africa's tough victory at the Bridge

“We will bat.” The force behind the words and the expressions on his face while uttering these words screamed that Faf du Plessis was sceptical and wasn’t confident about his decision.

How would he be? On the first morning of the Trent Bridge Test, Faf could have been anything but confident. He was returning from a paternal leave to lead a side that had lost the previous game as badly as any team could have in Test cricket.

Their strike bowler was facing a one match ban forcing the captain to make sweeping changes in the team. He opted for a five bowler strategy. Too risky – but one that was vindicated in the end.

And now he was standing at the famous Trent Bridge pitch after winning the toss and a decision to make. The sky was overcast, the conditions cold and everywhere it was written the day belongs to the bowlers.

But given South Africa’s team makeup, bowling last on this wicket best suited them. Reluctantly Faf decided to bat first, knowing very well that it is the same pitch where the same opponents shattered Australia in 2015. That innings had lasted for only 111 balls.

Faf began the Test match by opting for the tough path.

Faf was anything but confident at the toss

Stuard Broad and James Anderson may not be the most lethal bowlers in the world but when conditions assist them, they are far more dangerous than a wounded tiger with an empty stomach. The red cherry comes out from their hands with the only aim of misbehaving. The swing is mammoth, the pace is dangerous and their line and lengths strip batsmen an all fronts.

Trent Bridge is Broad and Anderson’s turf. They are the kings of this jungle. And they start the Test like being one. South African batsmen fumble, get beaten, are squared up in the initial overs. A wicket falls too.

But somehow they survive. Their second opener falls after the lunch, in the 28^th over. The kings of the jungle are denied glory. They come back with more venom and better plans. But they fail to break through the steel wall that has the face of Hashim Amla.

It is not the most glorious of defences, but it is effective and enough to keep the English duo at bay. Once this phase gets over, it is South Africa’s turn to run the errands. They milk runs. They trash bowlers. De Kock has some fun, so does Philander and Morris.

The visitors’ bat for 97 overs. They do that by duelling with the finest pacers at their own backyard. They do that by getting beaten, bruised and falling flat on the ground.

They do that the tough way.

Amla was the face of South Africa’s resistance with the bat

Joe Root’s not so muscular physical appearance is not intimidating. His batting stance too doesn’t demand attention. But when he authoritatively drives the ball through covers or sends it towards point boundary with impeccable timing he becomes one of the most beautiful sights in this whole world.

His batting looks beautiful because he makes batting look easy. At Trent Bridge in the first innings, he repaired England’s horrific start and was smashing balls through leg-side and punching through off.

He was demolishing South Africa with his highly aggressive batting. But the Proteas struck back. Not by bowling defensive lines and setting up a negative field. They didn’t even pick wickets from the other end to put pressure on Root.

Instead, the South Africans bowled in the channel outside off, expecting Root to make a mistake. The England captain punished these deliveries but the visitors kept on bowling in the channel. The England skipper finally blinked and De Cock caught the edge.

Sout Africa got rid of Root after getting trashed; after getting drubbed. They got Root the tough way.

Root was done in by South Africa’s relentless discipline

The ball landed on the good length area and bounced over Bairstow's chest, who was standing behind the stumps. That was the first ball Faf faced in the second innings. On the third delivery, Faf was squared up and the ball took a leading edge. The pitch still had plenty of tricks in it and the hosts’ gruelling bowling attack was making things difficult.

South Africa were 284 runs ahead but had lost two quick wickets. Their captain could have exploded and added a vital 30 odd runs in no time to swell the lead as batting was as tough as beating Usain Bolt in a 100-meter dash.

Instead, Du Plessis plays the waiting game. He waits for the English bowlers to make a mistake. He tightens his defence and is happy to get beaten on a few occasions. But when the chance comes, he trashes the ball through the arc between gully and covers. And against the spinners, he sweeps with intent.

He survives for 128 balls. He adds 63 runs and pushes the game further away from the hosts. But for those 128 balls Faf struggles, falls down, fights and still stands tall. He survives LBW appeals, is almost caught behind and on numerous occasions had no idea whatsoever about the ball.

His 63 runs are only a statistic. The 128 balls he faced was his impact. That survival of 128 balls sucked out whatever little hope England had in the Test match. It was an innings of impact.

It was a tough inning.

Faf pushed England out of the match

South Africa lost the 1^st Test by 211 runs and their prime bowler at Lord’s. They came to Trent Bridge with a changed captain, two new men, and pressure of a mountain.

Four days later at Trent Bridge, South Africa had earned a 340-run victory on a pitch that was tailor made for the home team who were brimming with confidence.

For four days they could have counter-attacked or played an aggressive brand of cricket to gain the momentum. Instead, they fought the old fashioned way. They went through the ordeal, they survived the onslaught and emerged victorious. They won the tough way.