• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 18 SPORT THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Mentally I was ready to open: Rohit Learnt from my first day that you need to compete every ball, says Muthusamy Special Correspondent need to try and find those lit­ Visakhapatnam tle gaps and place the ball Rohit Sharma revealed he between those two fielders had been “prepared” for the and try and rotate the strike last two years to open in a because that is very impor­ Test for India. tant on a pitch where it’s He said after his unbeaten slower and lower.” hundred — his fourth in Tests and first as an opener — here India connection on Wednesday, “The talk South African debutant and was on for a long time about left­arm spinning all­roun­ me opening the innings. In der Senuran Muthusamy the West Indies they told me said, “Of course, it [debut] is clearly that it’s going to hap­ very special. pen now. So mentally I was “My forefathers are from ready for it.” the South of India, Tamil Na­ The graceful right­hander du. But it is one of the things, observed, “Opening the bat­ I am firmly South African, a ting in red­ball cricket is a few generations down the different ball game com­ line. But yes, no getting away pared to limited overs. You The perfect blend: Mayank Agarwal combined solid from that.” have to train your mind defence with clever strokeplay. * K.R. DEEPAK He added, “I learnt from more than anything else. my first day [in Test cricket] Technically, yes, you have ways look for opportunities. to focus on the basics. Play­ that you need to compete ev­ got to look into it, certain as­ Yes, there will be a lot of ing close to your body, leav­ ery ball. You need to plug pects of batting. I was clear challenges ahead but I’m not ing the ball. In India, after away and thereby try to take what I wanted to do. There focussing on all of those. It’s the early overs, the ball control.” was no confusion in my pretty important for me to doesn’t swing.” About the pitch here, mind.” stay in the present and think On his unbeaten double Muthusamy said, “It is going Proving his credentials: Rohit Sharma justified the team management’s faith to back him as Test opener. * K.R. DEEPAK Opening the innings in about what I need to do to­ century opening partner­ to deteriorate like any wicket Tests was a huge opportuni­ day. I was very clear in my ship with Mayank Agarwal, in the sub­continent. ty for him, said Rohit. mind.” Rohit said, “Me and Mayank, “ From a left­hander’s per­ “When you are playing in­ He added, “The initial pe­ we always spoke between spective, that’s a part of the Rohit rains runs on opening ternational cricket, you al­ riod will be tough. You have the overs, about how we game.” debut before Nature takes over Our bowlers need to make adjustments: Pollock S. Dinakar influential as they come. years, the pace attack was the 46­year­old Pollock said, Visakhapatnam After the first day’s play not lacking in experience. “There are moments in the His determined, unbeaten century puts India in a position of strength; Shaun Pollock’s astonishing on Wednesday, he shared his He said, “Perhaps, the game when you need to cash Mayank proves an able ally; Proteas made to sweat control and seam movement thoughts with The Hindu. conditions are not suiting in. It is vital when you have coupled with his languid and our bowlers here. They have the new ball in your hand, SA IN INDIA Rohit, rightly, was circum­ ingly struck on the waltz bet­ on or around the off­stump graceful strokeplay made Not lacking experience to think out of the box, apply you got to make it count. spect at the start after Virat ween the straight­field and and under the legendary Ra­ him a true blue all­rounder. Pollock said since Vernon all their experience to be ef­ “Later, you have to get the Kohli elected to bat. Once he square­leg. hul Dravid emerged mental­ The great South African, Philander, Kagiso Rabada fective in these conditions.” ball to reverse. And you have S. Dinakar found his timing, he was a At the other end, Mayank ly stronger. with 421 Test scalps at 23.11 and Lungi Ngidi had com­ On the secret to success in to be clever when you bowl Visakhapatnam different proposition. combined a solid defence For South Africa, the lion­ and 3781 runs at 32.31, was as bined well over the last two India for visiting pacemen, at different batsmen.” There is a maturity about Ro­ Rabada was square­dri­ with clever strokeplay. Tem­ hearted Rabada operated On the manner Rabada hit Sharma these days that ven, and when Philander perament is the lad’s with some speed and ve­ and Philander operated reflects a calmness of mind. provided some width out­ strength. nom, but received little help here, he said, “They beat the And when this happens, the side off, he was put away Mayank, in his first Test from the pitch. outside edge, asked an awful muscles are relaxed, the feet ruthlessly. innings in India, was fortu­ Philander, a lesser force lot of questions in the first 10 move freely and the focus is Rohit’s bat­speed is his nate early on when he at­ once the ball lost its shine, overs in particular. But they fierce. strength. When he combines tempted to whip Rabada on­ was accurate but could not needed to make early in­ Rohit had a lot riding on this with nifty footwork and ly to see the edge rocket extract deviation after the in­ roads.” Pollock noted, “Our his innings on the opening a still head, the bowlers are between third slip and gully. itial overs. bowlers need to make ad­ day of the first Freedom Test up against it in Indian condi­ But the right­hander also Leader of the spin pack, justments. Our last Test was here on Wednesday. tions. essayed some compelling Maharaj, was quicker in February­March. You just The team­management After 15 innings in 10 Tests strokes. through the air but there was don’t walk into Test cricket had backed him for the Test [both unfinished] Rohit aver­ A cover­drive off Rabada not enough bite or turn in and find your length and opener’s slot and he had to ages a Bradmanesque 98.22 screamed for attention. his bowling. Off­spinner rhythm.” justify the faith. in India. These figures reveal Philander was off­driven Piedt, who doesn’t quite get The South African great his dominance in these con­ with ease and fluency. An in­ his body into his action, felt the team could have Resolute Mayank ditions and struggles on fo­ side­out six off Maharaj over failed to impress. gone with a third paceman. Rohit responded with an un­ reign soil. covers revealed deftness of Perhaps, South Africa Ngidi, Pollock said, would beaten 115 of sunshine on a His innings was laced with feet and timing. should have included an ad­ be his preferred third seam­ day of cloud cover and rain. moments of brilliance. Like Mayank is a vastly diffe­ ditional paceman in Lungi er. “Nortje has got some Giving him support was a re­ when Rohit eased Philander rent batsman from what he Ngidi or Anrich Nortje for a skill, some real pace and if solute Mayank Agarwal, bat­ between short cover, extra­ was about three years back. third spinner and played to he is harnessed really well, ting on 84. cover and the sweeper, Those were the days when its strength irrespective of he can be a central person India was on a strong 202 stroking the ball gloriously he had a pronounced shuffle the surface. but he is new to the subcon­ for no loss shortly before tea through the eye of the nee­ forward, and this, conse­ The signs are ominous for tinent. I would go for Ngidi.” at the ACA­VDCA Stadium dle. quently, affected his ba­ the visitor. About Rohit Sharma’s fu­ before a goodly crowd when Given the nature of his lance, the most crucial ingre­ ture as a Test opener, he not­ a sharp spell of rain ended game, the bowlers were al­ dient of batting. SCOREBOARD ed, “Given his Test career, he play for the day. ways in with a chance. His He also had trouble get­ has always done a brilliant For the beleaguered half­century came through a ting on to the back foot. The INDIA — 1ST INNINGS job in India. His biggest chal­ South Africans, this was a re­ top­edged sweep off debu­ committed Mayank worked Mayank Agarwal (batting) 84 lenges will come when he prieve. tant left­arm spinner Senu­ on that, curbed a tendency (183b, 11x4, 2x6), Rohit Sharma has to go overseas..” India’s latest opening Test ran Muthusamy, eluding a to hit balls on the up and was (batting) 115 (174b, 12x4, 5x6); Pollock conceded he mis­ pair survived a testing early diving square­leg. able to shift his weight to the Extras (lb­1, nb­2): 3; Total (for sed watching Jasprit Bumrah no loss in 59.1 overs): 202. phase when Kagiso Rabada rear foot. His rather elabo­ in this series. SOUTH AFRICA BOWLING and Vernon Philander were Growing in confidence rate back­lift also was now Philander 11.1­2­34­0, Rabada “I would have loved to see a threat.

Load more

  1

Copy Link