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During the first Test match between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town, one of the aspects that has, ironically, flown a bit under the radar, is how the pace bowlers on both sides have liberally used bouncers at the tailenders. The Indians did it on the first day, and the South Africans also did it on Saturday (January 6).
Neither side was too fussed about it though, with both insisting that if you were playing international cricket, you had to find a way to deal with the short stuff no matter where you batted.
“I think if you are playing at the international level, nowadays the tailenders should be ready to expect bouncers,” felt Cheteshwar Pujara. “I think there are no complaints if it is any team. I wouldn’t say that fast bowlers shouldn’t be bowling bouncers to tailenders. I think if you are playing at international level you need to expect bouncers and prepare for it.
“I wouldn’t say technically they are very much in the game. That’s why they are tailenders,” smiled Pujara. “If they were good technically they might be batting up the order. But somehow they need to find a way to play bouncers.”
Kagiso Rabada, who faced chin music and dished it out too, agreed. “Yeah, I think the golden days are gone where there were fast bowlers’ truces,” he smiled. “I don’t know if it would be introduced again. But obviously tailenders are not good at facing the short ball and it is a just a tactic to get them out. Sometimes there could be blood for you, but it is just a tactic. You have to expect it and go out and face the music, if you are going to dish it out.”
Rabada took 3 for 34, and was possibly the consistently quickest of South Africa’s four pacers with the speed never flagging. However, he was the fourth one handed the ball, with the new cherry being shared by Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.
“When you are bowling with quality bowlers Philander, Steyn, – Steyn is the quickest ever to 400 Test wickets and Philander is the quickest South African to 100 Test wickets, you need to understand that these guys are going to come before you and bowl because they have done great stuff,” said Rabada. “You are always eager to come run in harder and bowl, but you need to understand these guys have been doing it for the team for a long time.”
Rabada will walk to the middle first thing on Day 3, since he was sent in as a nightwatchman and is unbeaten on two. The task of going in when the opening wicket fell – Aiden Markram for 34 – took Rabada by surprise though. “I actually had no shirt on in the change room, I was relaxing,” he revealed. “I had baby powder on my feet. And then Faf (du Plessis) came and asked me to do it, and I said ‘okay’ because I was the option.”
India kept South Africa’s first-innings lead down to 77 runs thanks to Hardik Pandya’s belligerent 93, but while Rabada acknowledged that Pandya’s batting had probably eaten into the lead South Africa would have expected to get, he said the home side were still very happy with their position, having stretched that advantage to 142 runs by stumps.
“We will take it. At the end of the day we will take it,” said Rabada. “After the sort of momentum they got in the second session, we will take that lead. Obviously we were hoping for a bigger lead, but India are not going to roll over, and we expected that. That is what they showed out there.
“We are looking to bat time, looking to bat normally and see what happens from there. We want to make it hard for them to score. We are slightly ahead. But we are not going to give in, we need to work hard.”
https://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-news/india-south-africa-agree-tailenders-face-chin-music/285996
Neither side was too fussed about it though, with both insisting that if you were playing international cricket, you had to find a way to deal with the short stuff no matter where you batted.
“I think if you are playing at the international level, nowadays the tailenders should be ready to expect bouncers,” felt Cheteshwar Pujara. “I think there are no complaints if it is any team. I wouldn’t say that fast bowlers shouldn’t be bowling bouncers to tailenders. I think if you are playing at international level you need to expect bouncers and prepare for it.
“I wouldn’t say technically they are very much in the game. That’s why they are tailenders,” smiled Pujara. “If they were good technically they might be batting up the order. But somehow they need to find a way to play bouncers.”
Kagiso Rabada, who faced chin music and dished it out too, agreed. “Yeah, I think the golden days are gone where there were fast bowlers’ truces,” he smiled. “I don’t know if it would be introduced again. But obviously tailenders are not good at facing the short ball and it is a just a tactic to get them out. Sometimes there could be blood for you, but it is just a tactic. You have to expect it and go out and face the music, if you are going to dish it out.”
Rabada took 3 for 34, and was possibly the consistently quickest of South Africa’s four pacers with the speed never flagging. However, he was the fourth one handed the ball, with the new cherry being shared by Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.
“When you are bowling with quality bowlers Philander, Steyn, – Steyn is the quickest ever to 400 Test wickets and Philander is the quickest South African to 100 Test wickets, you need to understand that these guys are going to come before you and bowl because they have done great stuff,” said Rabada. “You are always eager to come run in harder and bowl, but you need to understand these guys have been doing it for the team for a long time.”
Rabada will walk to the middle first thing on Day 3, since he was sent in as a nightwatchman and is unbeaten on two. The task of going in when the opening wicket fell – Aiden Markram for 34 – took Rabada by surprise though. “I actually had no shirt on in the change room, I was relaxing,” he revealed. “I had baby powder on my feet. And then Faf (du Plessis) came and asked me to do it, and I said ‘okay’ because I was the option.”
India kept South Africa’s first-innings lead down to 77 runs thanks to Hardik Pandya’s belligerent 93, but while Rabada acknowledged that Pandya’s batting had probably eaten into the lead South Africa would have expected to get, he said the home side were still very happy with their position, having stretched that advantage to 142 runs by stumps.
“We will take it. At the end of the day we will take it,” said Rabada. “After the sort of momentum they got in the second session, we will take that lead. Obviously we were hoping for a bigger lead, but India are not going to roll over, and we expected that. That is what they showed out there.
“We are looking to bat time, looking to bat normally and see what happens from there. We want to make it hard for them to score. We are slightly ahead. But we are not going to give in, we need to work hard.”
https://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-news/india-south-africa-agree-tailenders-face-chin-music/285996
