Construction activity led to 23 wkts on Day 1? Bizzare theory by SA coach

In the press conference after the first day's play, Prince said that a lot of construction work adjacent to Newlands might have also affected the Cape Town pitch's character.

The Day 1 of India vs South Africa 2nd Test went into the cricketing history as a day when 23 wickets fell in a single day of the Test match. Cape Town's Newlands wicket looked unplayable for the majority of time on Day 1 as the hosts South Africa bundled out to their lowest Test score post apartheid era. The Indian story was not different with India losing last six wickets for a zero, a world record once again.

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With Cape Town wicket catching the eyeballs of the many, South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince came up with a bizarre theory over the behaviour of Newlands strip.

Prince was amazed by the pace of Cape Town wicket and also offered a theory behind it. 

In the press conference after Day 1, Prince said that a lot of construction work taking place adjacent to Newlands might have also affected the character of the track.

"I don't know if the lots of construction taking place here are affecting this pitch. If two line-ups can't bat on a surface, that says a lot," the South Africa batting coach said.

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However, Prince didn't explained the reason behind the theory and didn't criticised the Cape Town wicket either. 

"I think the bounce was a little bit inconsistent. You have seen some balls bouncing steep and some keeping low. But you don't mind the seam movement on day one. The amount of balls that took off from length and keepers took above their heads was extensive," he said.