1st Test, India vs South Africa Day 4 preview: India need quick wickets to keep win hopes alive

South Africa made India sweat in the humid heat of Visakhapatnam on Friday, October 4, with Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock scoring centuries, but by the end of the day, India still had the upper hand, albeit to a lesser degree than what they started the morning with.

That said, there’s no denying India would have hoped to do better. They had South Africa on ropes at 39/3 by stumps on the second day, and when that became 63/4 early on the third morning, when R Ashwin had Temba Bavuma stumped, the expectations of a South Africa collapse grew ten-fold.

It is that that makes Elgar’s knock so commendable. From an utterly dire situation, he played a typical Test innings of grit, putting on partnerships with Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock to increasingly deflate and eventually put the pressure back on India. There were times during the day when India were frustrated, no more so than when chances were dropped, and all of Elgar, du Plessis (55) and de Kock (111) had major roles to play in that.

South Africa slowly crossed the 100 mark, the 200 mark and by the time they crossed 300, they were favourites to significantly chop down India’s lead. However, as it turned out, a couple of wickets in the final session dented their realistic hopes of doing that. Elgar, after a day of immense concentration, finally was broken when he slog-swept one off Ravindra Jadeja to be dismissed. De Kock, having played a more attacking knock, didn’t last long, falling for a 163-ball 111 to Ashwin.

That meant by stumps, South Africa were 385/8, still trailing by 117. For all their efforts, they are still behind significantly. Expect India to shoot out the last two wickets, and accelerate in their second innings. With two days left, there’s still time for a result, rain permitting. However, for that to happen, their bowlers will need to ensure South Africa don’t mount a similar fightback in their second innings.

Key players

Rohit Sharma (India): The expectation is that India will score quickly on the penultimate day, after bundling out the last two South African wickets, and put up a daunting target for the visitors. Rohit will therefore once again have a chance to make an already memorable Test an unforgettable one. Watch out for him.

Keshav Maharaj (South Africa): As South Africa’s big spin hope, Maharaj was a tad expensive in the first innings, going for 189 runs for his three wickets. However, with India expected to put onus on attack, Maharaj will have more opportunities. He could spell trouble.

Brief scores

India 502/7 declared (Mayank Agarwal 215, Mayank Agarwal 176) vs South Africa 385/8 (Elgar 160, Quinton de Kock 11; Ashwin 5/128)

Prediction

India to accelerate and put up a daunting total, before giving South Africa a tricky few overs to see off at the end of the day.