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South Africa vs India | 2nd Test | Centurion | Jan 13-17, 2018 | Pre-Match Thread

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A badly hurt Indian Test squad would be looking for revenge or will they wilt under the pressure?
 
India's bowling has been so impressive, best in Asia right now
 
It probably will end up in a defeat.

But I am satisfied with the fight our bowlers are putting.

Batting is very disappointing.
 
Indian batting doesn’t look good enough. However it seems for the 1st time India is having a bowling unit that is capable of taking 20 wickets overseas barring Australia.
 
Indian batters need to pull their weight now. Bowlers will be pumped.

It's gonna be a gem of a game.

Steyn won't play so better for parosis :kohli I expect Amla to score a 100 in this one.

Hopefully India will play the best XI this time (Rohit Sharma shouldn't play, ideally).
 
On these kind of wickets lack of Steyn won't affect them much. It will come into play when they step into SC.
 
Rahul
Dhawan (Can score quickly and get some reasons if he can play 50 balls).
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Parthiv Patel (Better batsman. Can expect some 30 runs. Not as good as Saha behind the wickets. Willing to take the risk)
Pandya
Ashwin
BKumar
Shami
Bumrah

This lineup can bat till No.9. Can expect 300 score each time they come out to bat.

I have excluded Murali Vijay. He is a timid batsman. Even if he survives 10 overs, he will not score more than 15 runs. Then gets frustrated and plays a lose shot and gets out. You need positive batsman in SA. If you keep defending or leaving every delivery, sooner or later you are going to get a ball which can clean you up. The worst part is, Vijay does not even look to take singles. Just plays maiden after maiden and finally plays a pathetic shot to get out.

Though I like Saha's keeping, his batting cringeworthy. He looks happy to get out. No intention of staying there and score runs. Even Ashwin and Bhuvi looked a million times better batsmen than Saha. Willing to take the risk with Parthiv Patel. The man is an aggressive batsman and can open the innings and push Dhawan down the order if needed.
 
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Centurion is a Bowl first wicket in general. Morris replacing Styen and rest same for SAF.

For IND, I believe Sharma will get one more chance, may be as opener. Rahne comes and they might open with PP (not suggested, lots of catches behind batsman are expected at Centurian). Rest are fine.
 
I want India to be demolished and destroyed.Expecting one-sided game! Lungi ngidi should debut in this match.
Go guys destroy them
 
Cracking first game. Hope to see the same again.
 
Bits and pieces player like ashwin, pandya won't help us to win against quality side.

Play 4 quality pacers (Bhuvi, Shami, Bumrah, Ishant/Umesh) and 6 quality batsman + wicket keeper (parthiv maybe)
 
MMHS said:
Centurion is a Bowl first wicket in general. Morris replacing Styen and rest same for SAF.
Click to expand...

Would love to see Lungi Ngidi(is in the squad), he is another 145+ bowler. It will be a black player to replace Steyn to get the quota average right after end of the season
 
India: Quicker pitches ahead, and there's a case for dropping Ashwin and bringing in Ishant instead. Or Kuldeep. Enough has already been said about Saha/Rohit/Dhawan, their replacements ought to play, but can't see even two of those three dropped.

It's mad that their vice captain/best all conditions player will struggle to unseat Kohli/Shastri's ladla but Rahul coming in for Dhawan is likely.

SA: Morris should come in for Steyn and he'll bring in a few extra runs as well.
 
Rahul
Vijay
Chepu
Kohli
Rahane
Pandya
Saha
Bhuvi
Yadav
Bhumrah
Shami
 
I have a feeling Vijay will be the one to be replaced by Rahul in next match not Dhawan. It will be Rahul and Dhawan opening up the inning.
 
Kohli showed some spark in his last inning. He was trying to score from every delivery putting bowlers under the pressure before finally getting out. This is the right approach in these conditions. Rahul and Rahane too can attack if needed.

Murali on the other hand looks terrible with his new technical adjustment of shuffling across the crease. Not sure why needed to do it.
 
Chrish said:
Kohli showed some spark in his last inning. He was trying to score from every delivery putting bowlers under the pressure before finally getting out. This is the right approach in these conditions. Rahul and Rahane too can attack if needed.

Murali on the other hand looks terrible with his new technical adjustment of shuffling across the crease. Not sure why needed to do it.
Click to expand...
in the context of that match (low score to chase, and team being blown away) it was an encourage innings. not sure if it will count for much in a new game.
 
This is one of the result assured ground

SA has only lost only 2 out of 22 test matches here at centurion

Fast bowlers would love to bowl here....3 years back johnson scalps 12 wickets here and in last series against england rabada took 13
 
Protea Fan said:
This is one of the result assured ground

SA has only lost only 2 out of 22 test matches here at centurion

Fast bowlers would love to bowl here....3 years back johnson scalps 12 wickets here and in last series against england rabada took 13
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How about batting, Has Amla or AB scored big here?
 
Amla's star in limping a bit....Don't expect much from him in this series.
 
I hope this goes like the India-Aus series where we lost the first Test with a similar performance (abysmal batting) but came back to win the series. The difference of course is that against Aus the batsmen fell to spin, whereas against SA we have a more difficult problem of overcoming their pace bowlers.

We did outscore SA in the second innings, which is a positive sign.
 
Napa said:
I hope this goes like the India-Aus series where we lost the first Test with a similar performance (abysmal batting) but came back to win the series. The difference of course is that against Aus the batsmen fell to spin, whereas against SA we have a more difficult problem of overcoming their pace bowlers.

We did outscore SA in the second innings, which is a positive sign.
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Indeed possible, but I think, there is another difference apart from spin - that series was at home, this one in SAF.
 
It seems all 4 benched players had an extensive net session.

Rahul and Rahane are the obvious picks. I just hope Kohli doesn't persist with Dhawan because of the left-right bull-crap.

Bumrah certainly has done enough to play at Centurion. However I do think Ishant should come in for Shami despite that spell on Day 4 morning, Shami hasn't shown the discipline India require. Something Ishant has mastered in the last 12-14 months.

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Saha
Hardik
Ashwin
Bhuvi
Ishant
Bumrah

If the pitch won't aide spin at all, might as well just pick Rohit over Ashwin. We anyway didn't need him at Cape Town which was supposed to be the only pitch on this tour where a spinner could come in handy.
 
Napa said:
I hope this goes like the India-Aus series where we lost the first Test with a similar performance (abysmal batting) but came back to win the series. The difference of course is that against Aus the batsmen fell to spin, whereas against SA we have a more difficult problem of overcoming their pace bowlers.

We did outscore SA in the second innings, which is a positive sign.
Click to expand...

Kinda like the series against SL too.

We were blown away by SL of all bowlers, on a green pitch with cloud cover but we came back to comprehensively win the series.

With Kohli you know this Indian side won't give up to win the last test even if they are 2-0 down.

I like how we didn't just roll over after being 93-7 on Day 2, to end on this note is much better. Even though result would have been the same.
 
Still feel that India rely heavily on Kohli. He in return still seems to be in honeymoon mode. Time for him to snap out off it!:ashwin
 
Napa said:
I hope this goes like the India-Aus series where we lost the first Test with a similar performance (abysmal batting) but came back to win the series. The difference of course is that against Aus the batsmen fell to spin, whereas against SA we have a more difficult problem of overcoming their pace bowlers.

We did outscore SA in the second innings, which is a positive sign.
Click to expand...

I feel the Indians would be much better off dropping Ashwin for Rahane and bringing Rahul in for Rohit. A little unorthodox but batting is, and always has been, India's strength. Better to back that and at least draw this test than try to go toe to toe with the South Africans' bowling and lose. Dhawan deserves another go because if he gets going, he can take the Saffers apart. My team would be:

1) Vijay
2) Dhawan
3) Pujara
4) Rahane
5) Kohli (c)
6) Rahul
7) Saha (wk)
8) Pandya
9) Shami
10) Kumar
11) Ishant

Four pacers should be enough bowling in South African conditions. Ashwin and Maharaj had nothing to do in the first test and it is likely that the same will be the case in Centurion. Kohli and Rohit are also decent-enough part-timers.
 
Cricfan4eva said:
It seems all 4 benched players had an extensive net session.

Rahul and Rahane are the obvious picks. I just hope Kohli doesn't persist with Dhawan because of the left-right bull-crap.

Bumrah certainly has done enough to play at Centurion. However I do think Ishant should come in for Shami despite that spell on Day 4 morning, Shami hasn't shown the discipline India require. Something Ishant has mastered in the last 12-14 months.

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Saha
Hardik
Ashwin
Bhuvi
Ishant
Bumrah

If the pitch won't aide spin at all, might as well just pick Rohit over Ashwin. We anyway didn't need him at Cape Town which was supposed to be the only pitch on this tour where a spinner could come in handy.
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Mohammad Shami is India's best pace bowler. Can't you guys hope that Kohli plays your best players for once instead of proven failures like Ishant Sharma?
 
KL and Rahane should replace Dhwaan and Rohit. I think India's bowling didn't do a bad job so don't see a need to change the bowling.

South Africa will need to replace Steyn. Other than that I don't see them making an another change.
 
Bilal7 said:
Mohammad Shami is India's best pace bowler. Can't you guys hope that Kohli plays your best players for once instead of proven failures like Ishant Sharma?
Click to expand...

He's not India's best pacer, Bhuvi is. At least based on last 6 months form.

Shami was atrocious on day 1, totally let SA off the hook after the start Bhuvi provided. After so many games, least you expect from a bowler is control.
 
Wish he had married before lungan Test series instead of SA series. On one side he has to chart out plans for taking on one of the toughest home side in the world. Other side he has to devote his time to his wife. He has done bit of disservice to himself with this. Atleast he should pick the right people.
 
Why are we guys even discussing this?
Centurion is known to be the bounciest pitches in the country and India lost by an innings last time we played (with the star batting line up)

The only time SA lost here in recent times is when they ran into Johnson who breathed fire with 12 wickets.

Rabada took 13 wickets against England last time. I shudder to think what he would do against India.

To add to that, I guess SA may want to scar India a bit more and give Lungi Ngidi a debut who also clocks 145-150 kph.

Only solace for India could be that there shouldn't be too much lateral movement, so all India may have to do is handle the bounce.

India may drop Rohit and bring in Rahane and would want Ashwin to bat at 6 or 7. Truth to be told, Ash showed decent technique, as he did in England
 
I'd replace Steyn with Morris, India's bowling attack requires an extra bat.

I'm tempted by this aggressive approach Gibson and Faf are taking. Take 20 wickets and worry about the runs later. But Ngidi is coming back from a serious injury and has mostly played T20's.
Organise a gig for him in County Cricket (I'm sure Gibson has contacts there), if he proves his fitness unleash him in the summer against Pakistan. I'd be tempted to include him for the Lanka away tour, but that's too soon. Let's ease him in to Test cricket.
 
Bilal7 said:
I feel the Indians would be much better off dropping Ashwin for Rahane and bringing Rahul in for Rohit. A little unorthodox but batting is, and always has been, India's strength. Better to back that and at least draw this test than try to go toe to toe with the South Africans' bowling and lose. Dhawan deserves another go because if he gets going, he can take the Saffers apart. My team would be:

1) Vijay
2) Dhawan
3) Pujara
4) Rahane
5) Kohli (c)
6) Rahul
7) Saha (wk)
8) Pandya
9) Shami
10) Kumar
11) Ishant

Four pacers should be enough bowling in South African conditions. Ashwin and Maharaj had nothing to do in the first test and it is likely that the same will be the case in Centurion. Kohli and Rohit are also decent-enough part-timers.
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Agree with bringing in Rahul for Rohit.

Dropping Ashwin for Rahane maybe not. If the wicket won't offer any help to spinners then then it can be considered. Ashwin got 2 wkts for 24 runs, and also scored 49 runs, which was the second highest after Pandya, so on just the basis of his batting should keep him in the team.

Better to drop Dhawan for Rahane.
 
MMHS said:
Indeed possible, but I think, there is another difference apart from spin - that series was at home, this one in SAF.
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Yes, much more difficult to improve performance against pacers like Rabada and Philander abroad, than against spinners like Lyon and O'Keefe at home.
 
soso_killer said:
I'd replace Steyn with Morris, India's bowling attack requires an extra bat.

I'm tempted by this aggressive approach Gibson and Faf are taking. Take 20 wickets and worry about the runs later. But Ngidi is coming back from a serious injury and has mostly played T20's.
Organise a gig for him in County Cricket (I'm sure Gibson has contacts there), if he proves his fitness unleash him in the summer against Pakistan. I'd be tempted to include him for the Lanka away tour, but that's too soon. Let's ease him in to Test cricket.
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Morris last I saw him was not really quick enough to trouble Indian Batsmen but handy with the bat. Does he get in the air or off the pitch movement ?
 
The difference between the both sides is not that much. SA batting is pretty weak .

India need to make sure there top order scores , if they do , Indian bowling can get wickets.
 
There is a reason to play Rohit if lateral movement is not going to be too much.
 
Napa said:
I hope this goes like the India-Aus series where we lost the first Test with a similar performance (abysmal batting) but came back to win the series. The difference of course is that against Aus the batsmen fell to spin, whereas against SA we have a more difficult problem of overcoming their pace bowlers.

We did outscore SA in the second innings, which is a positive sign.
Click to expand...

For the sake of excitement I hope India wins this. No one wants the 3rd test to be dead rubber.

On topic India have never been white washed in SA before so hoping they comply with the tradition in this game.
 
Yeah SA batting unit is also fragile; especially due to Amla's form and other guys are far too inconsistent. Presence of AB does give them much needed stability though.
 
BaankeJi said:
There is a reason to play Rohit if lateral movement is not going to be too much.
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Its not like host players scored hundreds at will. No player can score consistently on that sort of surface.
 
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MMHS said:
Indeed possible, but I think, there is another difference apart from spin - that series was at home, this one in SAF.
Click to expand...

Chrish said:
For the sake of excitement I hope India wins this. No one wants the 3rd test to be dead rubber.

On topic India have never been white washed in SA before so hoping they comply with the tradition in this game.
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Another thing, the first Test against Australia was a blow out loss for India, with the combined scores of two innings (105 and 107) for India being less than both individual innings for Australia (260 and 285). From that hammering to win 2 of the 3 remaining games and close to winning the 3rd was fantastic. Hoping for a similar turnaround this series.

Not only against Australia, but also against England we started the series slow before picking up momentum.
 
They'll get smoked in Centurion.

SA is dominant at this ground. 17 wins and 2 losses (3 draws). They even walked all over NZ who are known for playing pace reasonably well.
 
India need to reverse couple of their selection errors for the next game and hopefully it is not too late. Shikhar Dhawan is a good player and can score quickly but with 3 bowlers bowling at close to 90 miles an hour, he is going to get lots of short pitched stuff. He cannot be fending the way he did in the second innings. Also sorry, in spite of Rohit playing the difficult periods in the first innings, I am not convinced about his test match place. It was a crime going into the test without Rahane, does not matter if he had scored 10 ducks prior to the first test. So my changes would be Rahul for Dhawan and Rahane for Rohit and the rest remain the same.
 
Indians have players to put on a good effort .... but what will actually happen ..... is all guess work !!! Even the experts are hedging their bets. Sooooo, the best thing is to sit back and enjoy. My money is on SA though !!!
 
Justcrazy said:
The difference between the both sides is not that much. SA batting is pretty weak .

India need to make sure there top order scores , if they do , Indian bowling can get wickets.
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SA batting is anything but weak.
You don't score at 4.5 to the over in tougher conditions than the Indian faced and still outscore them.
South Africa should/would have won this match by an innings had they batted second.

This batting unit is stronger than the side that beat Australia in Australia. Makram and AB have added stability.
 
Napa said:
Another thing, the first Test against Australia was a blow out loss for India, with the combined scores of two innings (105 and 107) for India being less than both individual innings for Australia (260 and 285). From that hammering to win 2 of the 3 remaining games and close to winning the 3rd was fantastic. Hoping for a similar turnaround this series.

Not only against Australia, but also against England we started the series slow before picking up momentum.
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Well those games were in India so they were always going to have an upper hand in the end anyways.

I don’t fancy India’s chances this series. Just hoping for a win so that series doesn’t end right here.
 
Rahul and Rahane will also be under pressure going into this match. That shows how important it was to have at least 2 practice matches before the series. Problem is Kohli & Shastri think that they are people dropped from skies with godly powers!
 
EliteCynical said:
Why are we guys even discussing this?
Centurion is known to be the bounciest pitches in the country and India lost by an innings last time we played (with the star batting line up)

The only time SA lost here in recent times is when they ran into Johnson who breathed fire with 12 wickets.

Rabada took 13 wickets against England last time. I shudder to think what he would do against India.

To add to that, I guess SA may want to scar India a bit more and give Lungi Ngidi a debut who also clocks 145-150 kph.

Only solace for India could be that there shouldn't be too much lateral movement, so all India may have to do is handle the bounce.

India may drop Rohit and bring in Rahane and would want Ashwin to bat at 6 or 7. Truth to be told, Ash showed decent technique, as he did in England
Click to expand...

This Lungi kid sounds like that other South African kid called Ngam from over a decade ago, he was supposed to be the tear away black express pacer but didnt get to play much due to injury
 
Ashwin was the most assured looking batsman in the second innings of both teams, top scored as well. He actually looked like a top order batsman, especially considering the conditions and quality of opponents he was facing.
 
Cricfan4eva said:
He's not India's best pacer, Bhuvi is. At least based on last 6 months form.

Shami was atrocious on day 1, totally let SA off the hook after the start Bhuvi provided. After so many games, least you expect from a bowler is control.
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Bhuvi is trundler you will see that on road pitches. He has luck that he gets only green top to play for in test matches. Yes he is far more consistent but on flat roads there no comparison between bhuvi and shami.

Bhuvi is no way our best bowler in test cricket and he won't get this kind of helpful pitches all around world. Won't take alot time to see him trundling in 120's in aus on highways.
 
Rahul
Dhawan
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Ashwin
Saha
Pandya
Shami
Ishant
Bhuvi/Yadav(depending on conditions)
 
I think SA will win this one. However, for the betterment of the series, I hope we go into third test with the series still alive.

This Indian side doesn't deserve a 2-0 beating in first two tests played in SA and then even a win in third test won't get us the vibe of how much capable this team is.

However, Centurion records are against India and that is the worrying sign.
 
shah_1 said:
Would love to see Lungi Ngidi(is in the squad), he is another 145+ bowler. It will be a black player to replace Steyn to get the quota average right after end of the season
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Ngidi is likely to be around 85mph with odd one hitting higher.
 
Sam99 said:
Bhuvi is trundler you will see that on road pitches. He has luck that he gets only green top to play for in test matches. Yes he is far more consistent but on flat roads there no comparison between bhuvi and shami.

Bhuvi is no way our best bowler in test cricket and he won't get this kind of helpful pitches all around world. Won't take alot time to see him trundling in 120's in aus on highways.
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You do him a great disservice, Kumar is an excellent bowler and more consistent than Shami in all conditions.
 
Bewal Express said:
You do him a great disservice, Kumar is an excellent bowler and more consistent than Shami in all conditions.
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He thinks bhuvi bowls 120k's we can see how much he knows about what he is talking about from that alone.
 
India were humbled by South Africa by 72 runs in the first Test but pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Thursday asserted that if one debacle dents the team's confidence then it "does not deserve" to be play Test cricket. South Africa outplayed India inside four days in the opening Test in Cape Town to claim a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second Test is scheduled to start here on Saturday. "Confidence is not dented after one match. If it happens, then you don't deserve to play. Learn from the mistake you made and go forward. There is not a single cricketer who has not made a mistake," asserted Bumrah, who took four wickets in the match.

"It was a first good Test and a good learning experience for me because I have never played over here in South Africa. So I had a lot of things to learn from it. Now it is time to move forward and focus on the second Test," Bumrah said on Thursday.


Bumrah said he would rather pick the positives, including getting A B de Villiers as his first Test wicket. "It was not a dream debut. I was happy with whatever I learnt from that match. As a bowler you look to get the first wicket early and I got AB de Villiers.


"It was a happy moment, and from there on, we took a lot more wickets. As a bowler, my motto is not to get too excited and not to get too down after every match. I want to take confidence in to the next match," he added.

Bumrah had a mixed first outing at Newlands. He was taken for runs in the first innings at a time when India needed to keep South Africa quiet, but roared back to form in the second innings and triggered the hosts' 8-65 collapse on day four.
He outlined the differentiation in his performance was down to understanding the nature of the pitches here.

"It's always challenging whenever you come to a new country. The wickets are different and the weather is different. So it's always good to face new challenges. As you play more and more, you get to know a lot about the wickets.

"You get a fair idea about where to bowl and what kind of lines to bowl. It's been good so far. I am still learning and hopefully in the further matches, I will be able to do better," said Bumrah.

He said he prefers to not have any notions about the surfaces he bowls on. he also acknowledged that Indian bowlers erred in reading the bounce in the South African first innings, which yielded 286 runs for the hosts.

"We realized what mistakes we made in the first innings, so (on day four) we were trying to create pressure from both ends and focus on our lengths which were wrong in the first innings."

Bumrah has spent a lot of time with bowling coach Bharat Arun even in the junior days and he highlighted the inputs he has received.

"He has seen me since the time I walked in as an under-19 boy at the NCA where he was the coach. He knows me and gives me good advice. He knows my bowling and as a player it is good to have a coach who knows my strengths and weakness," he said.

The second Test begins at Supersport Park on Saturday. Smarting from their loss, the Indian team held a full-fledged practice session on Thursday, lasting just under four hours.

https://sports.ndtv.com/south-afric...-one-match-says-upbeat-jasprit-bumrah-1798963
 
South African opener Aiden Markram feels that the pitch at Supersport Park, although aiding more pace and bounce, will also be good for batsmen. The second Test begins on Saturday with the hosts leading 1-0 in the three-match series. "Generally, it's a good batting wicket here although I am not sure how they have prepared it this time. But there have been a lot of high scores here. I would like to think it will be a good wicket. I am pretty sure it will be similar to last week (Cape Town), maybe not as extreme," Markram said on Thursday.

"It is incredibly exciting to play here because it is a place where I grew up watching and playing cricket. It's a wicket where if you set yourself up as a batsman there are runs to be had. "But as a bowler, with the pace and bounce, you always have a shout as well. It's going to be an exciting match," he added.

It will be a homecoming for the 23-year-old Markram who is slated to play only his fifth Test. He has made the leap from a junior prospect to Under-19 World Cup winning captain and now to a dependable Test opener so far. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster the last couple of years but an enjoyable one. I learnt a lot about my game and myself, which is important. I am fortunate to rub shoulders with legends of the game at a young age, which does help. Most importantly I have kept learning, which is great," he said.

Markram admitted that playing India was completely different from being pitted against minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. "Playing against India is a massive step up (as compared to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). It was a massive step up. There's a reason why they are the No 1 team in the world - they have quality players in all departments.

"They tick all the boxes and they have come here to compete, which is great. For me as a young guy, it is awesome. Every day you are learning something new, and to be exposed to challenges like that is great. You learn your best lessons at this level. So it was valuable and going into this Test it's something I'll be more aware of," he added.

Talking about learning from the Newlands' Test where he scored 5 and 34, Markram said:"We got an insight into how the pitches are going to be in this series. It's about forming a game plan according to that. "We have had a couple of days off now to think about that. That's the direction we want to go in, to feel that as batters it's not that we can't score runs here. And look to score, according to how the wicket is going to play."

The covers came off the Supersport Park pitch in the afternoon for a little time. On first glance, it looked a hard and bouncy surface with an even sprinkling of grass as well. In keeping with coach Ottis Gibson's licking for pace, there is talk of pacer Lungi Ngidi - another local boy - being included in place of injured Dale Steyn.

At the same time, Kagiso Rabada will take the field as the Test No 1 bowler after displacing England's James Anderson with his performance in the first Test. "KG (Rabada) has fitted (taken) like a duck to water in international cricket. He's put his hand up for the side and he almost sees his role as a senior one even though he is so young. "He has adopted a great mindset. He is obviously a very competitive guy. He has got a lot of x-factor about him and what's lovely is he likes to compete with batsmen - he never likes a batsman to get up on him. It's a great trait for him to have," said Markram.

https://sports.ndtv.com/south-afric...d-wicket-to-bat-on-says-aiden-markram-1798975
 
Standard Bank Proteas opening batsman, Aiden Markram, insists there are opportunities for batsmen to make an impact despite the sporting conditions in the ongoing Freedom Series against India. The first Sunfoil Test match at PPC Newlands was a low-scoring wicket frenzy, but Markram believes the SuperSport Park surface will offer some respite for the batsmen in the second Test starting on Saturday.

Markram has had a dream start to international cricket -after four matches he has scored 419 runs including two centuries - but faces his toughest challenge against the No.1 ranked Test team. He says the batsmen remain confident despite modest contributions in the first Test, and have taken key learnings from the PPC Newlands conditions for the remainder of the series.

“ You have to make sacrifices for the team,” he said at SuperSport Park on Thursday. “ For the team you will do anything and these (conditions) are some of the things you have to battle through. By no means are we going to accept the fact that batsmen can’t score runs. I still believe that batters can get stuck in and score runs. It’s not going to be easy, it will still be a challenge, but I think if you apply yourself and play for long periods within your own game plans that suit you as a player there are runs up for grabs.

“ You have a game plan according to wickets,” he explained. “ I have to adapt to certain pitches but I didn’t want to lose the intensity with which I bat, it is something that I keep close to me and gauge often. When I’m batting at the right intensity I move better and my positions are stronger. That is something that I challenge myself with and it starts in training. Luckily we have a great attack to face and it’s never easy so to keep challenging my intensity levels is something I keep working on.”

Markram says it is ‘incredibly exciting’ to be making his debut appearance at his home ground, which is also a formidable fortress for the Proteas. The Proteas have only lost two matches from the 22 played , and will be looking to continue with their proud record with one eye on the series.

“ It is a great Test venue,” he said. “ The crowd pulls in and a lot of people come to watch and they get behind the side. In terms of the cricket, it is a wicket where if you set it up as a batter there are runs up for grabs, but as a bowler, with the pace and bounce, you are always in with a shout. It is going to be an exciting Test match, one I’m really looking forward to.”
 
Bear in mind that South Africa played the last Test over the maximum quota of White players they are allowed to select.

It was the only way to get both De Villiers and Steyn into the side, but the political masters are furious that one of only two black players - Temba Bavuma - was dropped to incorporate De Villiers.

The quota is an annual one, but the omission of Bavuma means that there will be hell to pay in political terms if Morris replaces Steyn.

In addition, let’s assume that the big Australia tour in February-March leads to the white quota continuing to be exceeded. Pakistan will be the tourists in December, and they could be the beneficiaries of race-based selection to try to meet the year-end quotas.
 
BTW, “Centurion” is not the historic name of the town where Centurion Park is.

It’s historic name is actually Verwoerdburg, and it’s located between Johannesburg and Pretoria. But Henrik Verwoerd was one of the architects of Apartheid, so the historic name is too offensive to be used.
 
Last edited:
Junaids said:
Bear in mind that South Africa played the last Test over the maximum quota of White players they are allowed to select.

It was the only way to get both De Villiers and Steyn into the side, but the political masters are furious that one of only two black players - Temba Bavuma - was dropped to incorporate De Villiers.

The quota is an annual one, but the omission of Bavuma means that there will be hell to pay in political terms if Morris replaces Steyn.

In addition, let’s assume that the big Australia tour in February-March leads to the white quota continuing to be exceeded. Pakistan will be the tourists in December, and they could be the beneficiaries of race-based selection to try to meet the year-end quotas.
Click to expand...

Pakistan aren't going to benefit from nothing just like the Australians didn't benefit when they were beaten black and blue by a Protea side that's keeping in line with the government's radical socio economic transformation. No amount of complaining from clueless individuals is going to change that.
 
soso_killer said:
Pakistan aren't going to benefit from nothing just like the Australians didn't benefit when they were beaten black and blue by a Protea side that's keeping in line with the government's radical socio economic transformation. No amount of complaining from clueless individuals is going to change that.
Click to expand...

If South Africa keep picking 6 Whites for all seven India and Australia Tests, they may well get to December and find that they can only meet the annual quota by only picking 3 or 4 Whites for the Pakistan Tests. And Mickey Arthur will know that very well!

It’s a serious problem. Let’s be frank: without the quota, Amla and Maharaj would not be in the team in 2018.
 
Junaids said:
If South Africa keep picking 6 Whites for all seven India and Australia Tests, they may well get to December and find that they can only meet the annual quota by only picking 3 or 4 Whites for the Pakistan Tests. And Mickey Arthur will know that very well!

It’s a serious problem. Let’s be frank: without the quota, Amla and Maharaj would not be in the team in 2018.
Click to expand...

Who are their replacements?
 
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