India hold edge in do-or-die battle for SA

Leading 1-0 in what has now effectively become a three-game series after the washout at Bengaluru, India would be looking to deliver the knock-out blow on South Africa and sew up the rubber in the third cricket Test commencing here tomorrow.
With the VCA Stadium pitch in Jamtha here sporting a dry look and promising to offer copious turn to spinners, another low-scoring cat-and-mouse contest is on the cards in the penultimate game of the series with India holding the aces because of its superior spin attack.
Both the teams would be a bit rusty going into the game with no play being possible in the second Test at Bengaluru after the opening day's proceedings following the end of the first Test in Mohali inside three days.

Having knocked down the visitors for scores of 184, 109 and 214 in the three completed South African innings so far in the series, the Indian spin attack poses the biggest threat to the visitors in this do-or-die game which they must win to keep the contest alive for the fourth and last match at Delhi.
Barring the odd wicket to the medium pacers or to a run-out, the Indian spinners have done the bulk of the damage against a side which has played them with a lot of concern and suspicion.
As such, India have a lot going in their favour even if their batsmen, barring opener Murali Vijay and one-down Cheteshwar Pujara, did not do anything significant in the low-scoring first Test at Mohali.

The encouraging return to form of opener Shikhar Dhawan after a string of low scores with a fluent, unbeaten knock of 45 with seven fours in India's strong reply of 80 for no loss to the visitors' paltry 214 in the rained-out Bengaluru game is another plus.

Though shot out for 201 and 200 in the opening match at Mohali, Vijay - who scored 75 and 47 in the two innings - did not feel the hosts' batting was a cause for worry.
"The confidence is really high as for now because we had a good game (in Mohali) and the first day (in Bengaluru) was in our favour. I don't think batting is a worry for us because everybody is one match away from a big knock and this match may be the one," he insisted yesterday.

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Leg spinner Amit Mishra is also expected to regain his spot in the playing eleven after being left out in the second Test and the triple spin attack is again going to test the nerves of South African batsmen.
South Africa's ODI captain A B de Villiers has been the one to lead the way with a classy 85 at Bengaluru on his milestone 100th Test match.
Mishra dismissed dangerous De Villiers both times at Mohali and this much-expected battle is going to be watched with great interest.
Unless the Proteas batsmen, especially captain Hashim Amla and Faf du Plussis, strike form and take on the Indian spinners to lend support to de Villiers, their proud achievement of not having lost a Test rubber overseas since 2006 in Sri Lanka is under serious threat.

Amla scored a magnificent 253 five years ago to lead the Proteas to a huge score at this ground and lay the platform for Steyn to produce an incisive spell and knock the stuffing out of the hosts with a seven-wicket haul in the first innings.
South Africa would hope that a return to this venue would help their skipper, who did not score many runs in the preceding T20 and ODI rubbers too.
The Proteas are also faced with the groin injury to their premier fast bowler Steyn, who is doubtful for the upcoming Test after he had sat out of the previous one in Bengaluru.

Steyn had taken 10 wickets in the innings victory notched up by South Africa at this venue five years ago and if he is declared unfit to play it would be huge blow to the visitors' chances on a track where the ball is expected to keep low.
Steyn bowled for a short while in the nets here yesterday morning, raising the visitors' hopes.
Steyn's fast bowling partner Morne Morkel, who himself has come off an injury lay-off on their long tour sustained during the ODI series, said they are keeping their "fingers crossed".
Part of it had to with the fact that the Indian pacers

were guilty of bowling too short, especially to the night watchman. Ishant as the leader of the attack was a disappointment in particular in this scenario as Kohli looked at him twice to bring about a dismissal.
Shami was the one who troubled Bishoo the most, but couldn't induce an edge despite going past the bat on many occasions.
At the other end, Brathwaite was happy to leave as many deliveries as possible, and he was obviously helped by the wide deliveries bowled at him by the Indian pacers. When the spin came on, he looked to attack Ashwin and didn't allow the lead spinner to settle down at all, hitting him for boundaries in successive overs.

While only 29 runs had come in the first hour of play, the 50-mark for the West Indies had come up in the 24th over of the innings. Then the breakthrough finally came as Amit Mishra (1-18) was introduced into the attack, and Bishoo was stumped going for a sweep shot.
Darren Bravo (11) then came to the crease, and he looked solid there albeit only for a short while. Kohli changing around his bowlers too quickly perhaps helped him in this endeavour, particularly the pacers who all bowled short spells from the Sir Curtly Ambrose End. Ishant and Umesh were taken off after one and two over spells respectively, and then Shami came on to bowl.

It seemed as if Bravo would be able to take the West Indies to lunch without any further loss, but he played at a wide outswinging delivery that he didn't really need to, and ended up edging behind to keeper Saha. Marlon Samuels was the other unbeaten batsman at the crease then, heading into the lunch break, but he was yet to get off the mark.