South Africa clinched the first Test by 30 runs.
With the demons of the first Test not yet put to rest, the Indians might face more problems in the second IND vs SA Test in Guwahati. The hosts went down to the Proteas in Kolkata after being bundled out for 93 in the fourth innings. However, India’s headache might just rise a tad bit, after the visitors have revealed the availability of two of their key players in Kagiso Rabada and Simon Harmer.
The Protea speedster missed the first Test in Kolkata due to a rib injury which he was nursing at the time. That being said, the South Africans have revealed that Rabada is being regularly assessed by the medical team and the team will take a call on his availability in the next 24 hours. Off spinner Simon Harmer, who was the destructor-in-chief against India, is all set to play in Guwahati after having a minor niggle.
“Rabada has been under medical observation. We will take a call in the next 24 hours”, said South Africa bowling coach Piet Botha.
Besides the availability of the two South African players, the focus will also be on the pitch in Guwahati which has a layer of grass on it, two days before the game. The Protea bowling coach expressed that he was unsure if the Indians would trim any grass on the wicket over the next two days. If that does happen, it will definitely make a difference to the way the pitch plays.
Botha also voiced that the early start would mean that there would be some moisture on the wicket, which will be helpful for the bowlers. Hence, the first hour of play on each day would be extremely crucial. For the batters, it would be more abut weathering the storm. As far as the venue is concerned, spin comes late into the picture. So it will have to be seen if the pitch holds up in that manner.
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Off-spinner Simon Harmer played a crucial role in dismantling India in the first Test, with four wickets each in both the innings respectively. The 36-year-old has a simple bowling action, but can rattle the opposition with his variations, which play a huge role in getting his dismissals. The way he used his variations in the first Test was pleasing to watch.
Harmer will be effective in the second Test considering the number of left-handed batters India have in their line-up. To add to that, the hosts seem to struggle against spin bowling on tracks where the pitches offer something to the spinners. Add to that, batting in the fourth innings and the task becomes more difficult. This is why the Proteas will have their chances in the second IND vs SA Test.
Just to be clear, Simon Harmer does not do anything extraordinary or out of the blue. But the off-spinner is a great reader of the game and knows when to use his skills efficiently. The way he uses his index finger to generate the arm ball is very difficult for the batter to read off his hands. And hence, the batter has to read it off the deck which consumes more time.
That being said, one of the most important challenges for the Indians ahead of the second IND vs SA Test would be to provide a deck which does not reduce the gap between the quality of the two sides in terms of the spin-bowling options. By providing tracks that are spin-friendly, the Indians have made it a habit to get South Africa into the game – which has been their point of loss.
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