The most beautiful part of the game of cricket is the 22 yard strip on which the game is played. This 22 yard yard strip called the Pitch is almost the talking point of every match played in the cricketing history. The behavior of pitches often differs in the subcontinents and other nations owing to factors like the soil found , the atmosphere of the region , the curators talent to prepare a suitable pitch for both the teams in accordance to the requirement for the game of cricket.
However some pitches traditionally owing to the climatic conditions are bouncy tracks which assists the fast bowlers or some are spin friendly wickets owing to the turn they receive on it. However the traditional Newlands pitch which has a a history of being a fast bowlers paradise due to the hard surface and a tinge of live green grass which grows on it .This nature allows the fast bowlers to swing the red ball at will on this wicket thus extracting uneven bounce which is difficult for the batters to judge the bounce of the ball.
However scorecards on such kind of wickets decision to bat first always could be tricky for the captain winning the toss because its always the first hour of the test match each day which decides the flow of the match ie: If the batters survive critical bowling then the pitch which seemed hard relatively looks easy like the Centurion pitch did for South Africans or if batters started to fail then the same pitch becomes a graveyard for them like the Indian batters in Centurion or Adelaide Ovals famous 36 all out.
This discussion about pitch sounded more vocal when a record of 23 wickets falling on DAY 1 of 2nd test match at Newlands with South Africa after choosing to bat first on pitch suited for bowlers was bowled out for mere 55 runs their lowest score in tests since 1932 raised amusement in the eyes of former cricket experts and was a buzzing point all through the day where on the 1st day itself the second innings of South Africa started.
Former Indian legendary batter now turned commentator Sunil Gavaskar was left bemused and emphasized on South African captain Dean Elgar’s decision in his last test match of his career to take such a bold decision which rather looked funny on the onset of South Africans 1st innings debacle since they were leading the 2 match series 1-0.
Sunil Gavaskar wonders on South Africa’s decision to bat first on fiery Newlands pitch
Former Indian legendary batter now turned commentator Sunil Gavaskar was surprised at South Africa’s decision to bat first after winning the toss in the second Test against India in Cape Town on Wednesday, January 3. The former India captain opined that the Proteas bowlers could have taken advantage of the conditions at Newlands by putting pressure on the struggling Indian batters.
Dean Elgar’s decision to bat first in his farewell international game backfired badly as the hosts were bundled out for a mere 55, their lowest total in Test matches since 1932. South Africa fought back well to restrict India to 153 as the visitors shockingly lost six wickets for 0 runs in 11 balls. By stumps on Day 1, South Africa were 62/3 in their second innings.
Sharing his thoughts on South Africa’s decision to bat first in the Cape Town Test, Gavaskar told Star Sports:
“Well, I tell you what, I was a bit surprised by what happened. Because a lot of times, captains and coaches make a big deal about what the pitch is gonna be…” said Sunil Gavaskar.
The former India skipper added that the Proteas missed a great opportunity to test India’s batters, who had failed twice on Centurion, on a fresh surface.
“I think you have also got to look at the psychology of the Indian team, having been defeated in three days, having batted so poorly in the second innings and going to be batting first on a fresh pitch would have been just a little bit defensive,” he stated.
“And I have thought that South Africans with the fast bowlers that they have in their lineup could look to take advantage of the fact that they have not played any cricket in between and therefore put them in,” he added.
Mohammed Siraj claimed 6/15 as India skittled out the hosts cheaply. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger then claimed three wickets each as South Africa restricted India’s lead to under 100.
Something similar happened in Australia two years ago- Sunil Gavaskar
During the discussion, Sunil Gavaskar also recalled the Adelaide Test against Australia in which India were bowled out for 36. They made a brilliant comeback to win the next Test in Melbourne and went on to clinch the series 2-1 in 2020-21
“Something similar happened in Australia two years ago, Australia dismissed India for 36. The next Test played in Melbourne, where the grass on the pitch was three millimeters more than the one at Adelaide,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
Meanwhile, South Africa will resume their second innings trailing India by 36 runs, with Aiden Markram (36*) and David Bedingham (7*) at the crease. On the other hand with the pitch assisting the bowlers to greater extent India will aim to wrap up the South African innings quickly and chase whatever target they receive to achieve a rare feat of leveling the series 1-1 after MS Dhoni in 2010 and also would look to register their first win at Newlands thus starting year 2024 on high.