"Shot selection left much to be desired": Sachin Tendulkar on India's struggle in 1st Test
Dec 28, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 28 : Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday pin-pointed the lacunae in the shot selection of Indian batters that led to their massive defeat against South Africa on Thursday in the first Test.
Throughout the second inning, Virat Kohli was the only batter who knew how to churn out runs on a surface, which proved too much for the rest of the batters.
Sachin took to X to congratulate the Proteas for their victory by an innings and 32 runs. He also hailed their pace bowling line-up, which exceeded expectations and showcased tremendous skill in the second innings.
"While I initially felt the South African team would've been unhappy after the 1st innings, their pace attack surpassed expectations and showcased remarkable skill in the 2nd innings, in spite of the pitch becoming more favourable for batting as the match progressed. From whatever I watched, India's shot selection left much to be desired. Throughout the Test, only a few batters, namely Elgar, Jansen, Bedingham, @imVkohli and @klrahul truly seemed at ease with the bat, navigating the conditions with technique and poise," Sachin wrote on X.
https://x.com/sachin_rt/status/1740400505384579309?s=20
Burger with his lethal bouncers and precise line and length pushed India batters back against the wall.
A game that seemed to be headed for the fourth day was concluded on the third day itself. India batters were no match for South Africa pacers as the pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Burger ran through India's entire batting line-up.
After a dismal start to their second innings, South Africa struck India hard by removing Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahu in quick succession.
After Burger removed Ravichandran Ashwin for a golden duck, India's fate was more or less sealed.
Jasprit Bumrah's runout following a brilliant effort in the field by Dean Elgar caused a mood of dismay. A brilliant review from the South Africa team saw Mohammed Siraj gloving the ball straight to the wicketkeeper.
Prasidh Krishna struggled hard but Jansen got the better of Kohli (76) which brought an end to India's struggle within the first three days.
