EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019 SPORT 19 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Ruthlessly superior India holds all the aces Pant and I share a Battered South Africa wondering how to turn things around and redeem some pride good rapport: Saha SA IN INDIA Nadeem for ‘We talk to Sridhar on how to keep on different wickets’ Shreedutta Chidananda Ranchi Kuldeep Shreedutta Chidananda of the bounce off the wick­ It will perhaps be truly ap­ Ranchi et,” the 34­year­old said. preciated only with the pas­ SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT After a spectacular perfor­ “It definitely helps. Wick­ sage of time, but India’s RANCHI mance behind the stumps in et­keeping is tough, irres­ home record is something of Shahbaz Nadeem will re­ the first two Tests, Wriddhi­ pective of the surface. Every­ a marvel. Since the start of place Kuldeep Yadav in the man Saha has quickly ban­ body thinks just because 2013, on its own patch, the India squad for the third and ished all doubts about who wicketkeepers wear gloves, team has won 25 Test match­ final Test against South Afri­ India’s best wicketkeeper is. we can catch all the balls. We es and lost only one: that is a ca in Ranchi starting on Sa­ Virat Kohli labelled him prepare according to the na­ win­loss ratio of 25, a figure turday. the world’s best while ture of the wicket. I adjust to that makes a mockery of the The decision to add Na­ Umesh Yadav, who watched the variations and the very idea of a win­loss ratio. deem was made on Friday af­ Saha grab two stunning bounce of both Ravindra Ja­ The next best home record, ter Kuldeep complained of catches off his bowling, felt deja and R. Ashwin and keep over the same period, has pain on the left shoulder. the ’keeper deserved to be Wriddhiman Saha. accordingly.” been New Zealand’s: 17 wins Nadeem, who hails from credited with those wickets. * RAJEEV BHATT The rivalry for the wicket­ to three defeats. Jharkhand, has been a prolif­ Before the start of this se­ keeper’s slot with Pant had With the result in Pune, ic performer on the domes­ ries, it may have seemed that the bat,” he said here on Fri­ not affected their relation­ India made it a record 11 tic cricket, and has been a Rishabh Pant was India’s day. “I remember how I ap­ ship, Saha stated. “We dis­ straight series victories on regular with the India­A first­choice wicketkeeper; proached that innings and cuss a lot,” he said. “We both home soil: another remin­ squads too. now, there is little doubt made 117. I am always look­ talk to fielding coach R. Srid­ der, if it were required, that Relentless: The Indian batsmen are in no mood to relax ahead of the final Test.* RAJEEV BHATT about Saha’s status as the ing to contribute with the har on how to keep on diffe­ this was the hardest place in No. 1 in home conditions. bat. I try to build a partner­ rent wickets. When I am sit­ the world for a touring side. After his side had taken an ages 50 over the two Tests, runs. Mayank Agarwal, only said; spin and reverse swing, ship and score a 50 or a ting out, like it happened in Unlike South Africa’s pre­ unassailable 2­0 lead in and Vernon Philander 77.5. four Tests old at the start of he felt, would be factors in Strange rumblings hundred. Everyone tries. So­ the West Indies, I observe vious visit to this country, Pune, Kohli insisted there They have been thoroughly this series, has batted with the game. India will not be But there still linger strange metimes it doesn’t happen his wicketkeeping and give when only one of the four would be no taking his foot outperformed by Mo­ an extraordinary assurance. complaining. rumblings about Saha’s bat­ and it’s natural.” him feedback during the Tests went beyond the third off the gas with World Test hammed Shami (20) and Kohli looked unstoppable in The teams (from): ting, as if it were a weakness. Before the Visakhapat­ practice sessions. Our rap­ day (the second Test was Championship points on off­ Umesh Yadav (9.83) in the Pune. Rohit Sharma scored India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Ajin­ The Bengal gloveman may nam Test, Saha had not port is really good. He points washed out), there can be no er. It is not as if India would same conditions. hundreds in both innings of kya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, not possess Pant’s range of played for India for over a out my mistakes whenever complaint about the nature have treated this third Test South Africa's batsmen, the first Test. R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mo­ shots, or his explosive pow­ year and a half, with injury he observes them.” hammed Shami, Cheteshwar of the pitches this time. In­ like a Diwali vacation other­ who showed a willingness to The JSCA Stadium — to get er, but he is no bunny. playing a part in his absence. Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhi­ It is tough; it is tough dia’s demolition of the oppo­ wise, but one thing the ICC’s fight in Visakhapatnam, dis­ to which the team buses man Saha, Ishant Sharma, Rohit For evidence, Saha may “I was out of the national <> sition, on fairly anodyne sur­ new competition has suc­ appointed in Pune. If not for have to drive past open point to his performance in side for a while but good per­ when you’re losing. Sharma, Shubman Gill, Hanuma We’re very, very faces, has ensured there can ceeded in doing is to imbue lower­order resistance from fields, where buffalo graze Vihari, Umesh Yadav, Shahbaz India’s last Test at the JSCA formances for Bengal and In­ be no explanation for the re­ dead rubbers with greater Keshav Maharaj, who is now and a weekly market does Nadeem, and Kuldeep Yadav. Stadium. The home side was dia­A put me back in the In­ competitive people, sult but India’s ruthless supe­ meaning. Forty more points ruled out of the series with brisk business — has hosted South Africa: Faf du Plessis 328 for six in the first in­ dian team,” he said. “My so it does take a dent riority. Virat Kohli’s men are will take India’s tally to 240 an injury, and Philander, one Test match before: an (Capt.), Temba Bavuma, Theu­ nings, in reply to Australia’s preparation process re­ out of your ranked No. 1 for a reason. on the WTC table, stretching things would have been engrossing game two years nis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, 451, when out walked Saha. mained the same during this confidence what is already a formidable worse. Aiden Markram has ago, when Australia battled Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, He scored a resolute 117 as period and nothing has No mood to relent lead. flown home after fracturing to a draw on the final day. George Linde, Senuran Muthu­ India eventually went past changed.” <> We can’t expect India will be in no mood to South Africa will wonder his wrist, leaving his side India perhaps felt the samy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich 600, putting it in the driver’s things just to Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane happen. They won’t ease up when the third and how it might turn things looking for another opener pitch did not break up Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, and Zu­ seat. Had Australia not sal­ Part of preparation final Test begins at the ap­ around. Its pace bowlers, now. enough on that occasion; bayr Hamza. vaged a draw, Saha’s innings On Friday, as Kohli batted, happen, because pealingly­designed JSCA Sta­ who would ordinarily be things might be different this Umpires: Richard Illingworth, might have been recalled Saha watched from behind India is a very dium, with its airy, canopied considered their side’s Contrasting picture time, with the playing sur­ Nigel Llong (both on­field), and more readily. the nets. It was part of his powerful team stands and grass banks, here strength, have endured a tor­ India’s batsmen, in contrast, face a dark brown on match­ Chris Gaffaney (TV). Referee: “I see every Test as an op­ preparation, he revealed. “I du Plessis, on Saturday. rid tour. Kagiso Rabada aver­ have all been among the eve. It was dry, Faf du Plessis Richie Richardson. portunity to contribute with was just trying to have a feel South Africa skipper Sarfaraz Ganguly can ‘No Ranchi without Dhoni’ All set for the ultimate battle sacked as Test, improve Shreedutta Chidananda local bowlers called to assist Talk of Dhoni's retirement Dabang, Warriors armed with big­match experience Ranchi T20I skipper Indian in India’s nets session on Fri­ quickly stirs up emotions in It is difficult to escape M.S. day. “I have met him. He is Ranchi. “We can't think of Press Trust of India cricket: Saha Dhoni’s presence in his ho­ completely down to earth. him quitting," said the form­ Karachi metown. On the road out of To us, he is Bhagwan (God). er Bihar captain Adil Hus­ Sarfaraz Ahmed was on Birsa Munda Airport, he is What else can I say?” sain, who also led a young Friday sacked as Pakistan’s Special on a mural on the wall, posi­ Dhoni’s name also came Dhoni at Central Coal Limit­ Correspondent Test and T20 captain with tioned next to the three ICC up in Friday’s pre­match ed in the Ranchi League.