The series scoreline and injuries to key opposition bowlers mean the hosts go into the Bangalore Test with a distinct advantage. The question is, will they gamble or play it safe in a bid to seal the series?
Karthik Krishnaswamy in Bangalore13-Nov-20152:13
Manjrekar: Never seen a turner in Bangalore
When Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger to give Imran Tahir out lbw and bring the Mohali Test to an end, India entered a space that was both familiar and unfamiliar. They had won the first Test of a home series for the seventh time in a row, but they had achieved this for only the second time against South Africa. The last time it had happened was in November 1996.Between the two opening-Test wins over South Africa, India lost in Mumbai in 2000, drew in Kanpur in 2004, drew in Chennai in 2008, and lost in Nagpur in 2010. South Africa’s ultra-competitive record in India has been built on making excellent first impressions.South Africa didn’t make the worst first impression in Mohali: the Test was evenly balanced over the course of its first three innings, and its result could have swung either way given a partnership here or a wicket there. But by the end of it, India’s spinners had delivered a win by a sizeable margin – 108 runs – despite their batsmen only producing totals of 201 and 200. They came out of it with what seemed like a psychological edge over South Africa’s batsmen, with a number of them getting out playing for extravagant turn that didn’t exist.During his press conference on the eve of the second Test, Hashim Amla admitted it was the “lack of turn that most of us got out to”, and spoke of needing to “play what you see, instead of playing what you imagine”.The weather over the last couple of weeks and its effect on pitch preparation might rule out a Mohali-style square turner in Bangalore, but even if the heavy atmospheric conditions were to remind the players of Leeds, the turf underfoot will still be 100% Indian. On Friday the surface seemed shorn of some of the patchy grass that had covered it the previous day, and wore the appearance – from afar, since the media wasn’t allowed to get too close – of a normal subcontinental pitch.That could mean anything from a pitch offering turn, bounce and a bit of pace onto the bat, which would encourage a contest of attacking skills, to one that simply slows down as the match progresses and helps neither batsmen nor bowlers of any description. Either way, it is still familiar terrain for India. They should have nothing to fear from it. More so since South Africa will be without Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.Given all this, India have a close to ideal set of circumstances before them to make the most aggressive possible push, in terms of their selections, to go 2-0 up. But there are factors that could induce them to move with just a degree of caution.Ever since his first Test as captain, in Adelaide last December, Virat Kohli has spoken of the kind of cricket he would like his team to play, pushing for wins at all costs. He has backed it up with his selections, pushing for a five-bowler combination at every opportunity, and banking on his batsmen to deliver totals without the security of a sixth specialist.But he has shown a willingness to temper his philosophy at certain times. After India had lost the first Test of their Sri Lanka tour in August, they flew Stuart Binny in from India, and drafted him into the XI for the second Test, in place of a specialist fast bowler. Instead of five bowlers, they had four-and-a-half, with Binny lengthening – in theory, although he didn’t make too many runs in the series – a batting line-up that had collapsed in the second innings in Galle. He played a small but vital role with the ball in helping India come back and win the series 2-1.In a similar sort of move, India added Gurkeerat Singh to their squad two days before the Bangalore Test. On Friday, he batted and bowled as much as anyone else in India’s nets, and did so during the early part of their training session. Kohli said Gurkeerat was definitely in India’s plans as a spin-bowling allrounder, though he didn’t specify when he would get his chance.’He [Gurkeerat] is primarily a batsman, who is bowling really well. Don’t be surprised if you see him playing very soon’ – Kohli•K Sivaraman”He could fit in, in our scheme of things,” Kohli said. “I can’t put a particular time when, but he is certainly in the mix of things because he has the ability with the bat, and at that No. 6 or No. 7 position he can be very, very dangerous. He is an instinctive player and he can take the game away from the opposition, he is that kind of a player.”He is bowling as well. He is primarily a batsman, who is bowling really well now as well, he is working very hard on his bowling. He has earned being called up into the team because these kind of cricketers who can bring balance to the whole combination are very, very important in any squad and especially because we are playing so many Test matches in India.”In the next year-and-a-half it will be very important to have guys like Gurkeerat, who can provide that balance for us – like Stuart did very well for us in Sri Lanka. I think their contribution with the bat and then coming in and bowling and getting us those couple of wickets is very crucial. He has earned his call-up and he certainly does fit in the scheme of things. Don’t be surprised if you see him playing very soon.”How soon is very soon? There is a chance, perhaps, that India might look at the sky on Saturday morning and wonder if batting first under cloudy skies might leave them at the risk of being four down for not too much. Morne Morkel, Rabada and Abbott aren’t quite Steyn, Philander and Morkel, but they are still a highly capable seam attack. That glance at the sky might just cause India to think of strengthening their batting.They might, however, take another look at the Mohali scorecard, and notice one significant detail: R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja picked up 16 of the 20 South African wickets across the two innings, but it was Amit Mishra who dismissed AB de Villiers both times.If one of the three spinners has to make way for a batsman such as Rohit Sharma or a batting allrounder such as Gurkeerat, Mishra is probably the man. Will such a decision hand too much of the initiative back to a South African side that is 0-1 down, with a batting line-up that still has a couple of question marks against it, and without two of its best bowlers? Or will it safeguard against potential batting mishaps without taking too much away from the bowling?India must have pondered all these questions, and come to a difficult decision. What this decision is we will know very soon.