Sai Sudharsan’s carelessness, Dhruv Jurel’s poor choice, and captain Rishabh Pant’s irresponsibility led to the collapse of India’s batting lineup, bringing them close to a humiliating home series whitewash against South Africa on Monday.
On a pitch Kuldeep Yadav described as a “road,” Indian batters were bowled out for just 201 in their first innings by the 6 feet 8 inches tall pacer Marco Jansen, who took 6 for 48 after scoring 93 on the second day.
By the end of the third day of the second and final Test, South Africa were 26 without loss, extending their overall lead to 314. They aimed to set India a target of more than 450 with 120 overs for their bowlers.
Jansen will remember his performance on Monday, achieved in conditions that offered
little help to any type of bowler.
While head coach Gautam Gambhir received criticism for choosing a turning pitch in Kolkata, no one should mind his criticism of the home batters after their poor game awareness during the first session and a half of the third day.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) and KL Rahul (22) provided a steady start but were unlucky to face the only two deliveries from spinners that bounced from a length, resulting in their dismissals.
Collapsing from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7 highlighted a reckless approach towards the opposition’s bowling attack and a disregard for the game situation. The Indian side was guilty of both on Monday.
Sudharsan (15), Jurel (0), and Pant (7) were dismissed within 13 balls, and their exits were forgettable.
The head coach watched helplessly as what could be termed a “collective brain fade” unfolded.
The pitch required normal cricket and sticking around, as spinners had little impact after the two openers were dismissed.
Washington Sundar (48 off 92 balls) added 62 runs with Kuldeep Yadav (19 off 134 balls) in just under 35 overs.
If Kuldeep could bat for over two hours, Jurel and Pant need to reflect on what they could have achieved with common sense.
Sudharsan is unlikely to get more opportunities in Test matches when India resumes red-ball cricket against Sri Lanka in six months. One reason is his failure to learn from his mistakes.
His dismissal on Monday was similar to his exit in the first Test against the West Indies.
The ball from Simon Harmer was slightly short, and his immediate reaction was to play the pull shot.
In Ahmedabad last month, he was leg before, missing the ball entirely, and in Guwahati, the pull shot lacked elevation, allowing Ryan Rickleton to take a fine catch at mid-wicket.
Jurel was tempted by a short ball outside the off-stump, but the delivery was slower than expected. His pull shot lacked elevation and led to his dismissal. Choosing such a shot with just five minutes to go before tea was questionable.
The most disappointing was skipper Pant’s shot selection and dismissal, knowing the team was struggling. Given his tendency to charge down the track to pacers, Jansen cleverly shortened the length further.
Pant jumped out for an ugly cross-batted shot, and the thin edge was caught by Kyle Verreynne behind the stumps.
Suddenly, India were 102 for 5, and then Nitish Kumar Reddy (10) and Ravindra Jadeja (6) were dismissed by Jansen’s well-directed short balls aimed at the body.
The Proteas have ample time to secure a win and leave with a 2-0 series result. For India, a hard-earned draw would feel like a moral victory.
However, for Gambhir, his reputation as a red-ball coach will suffer once again, even if Pant and company manage to save the game.
(With agency inputs)
