EVERYTHING TO PLAY FOR

Second Test On Knife’s Edge As Africa Chase 240 To Thwart Indians

- Dwaipayan.Datta

There’s a storm brewing over Johannesburg. And there’s one brewing at the Bull Ring too.

As Thursday’s weather forecast suggests 48% chance of thunderstorms, 50 is the catchword at the Wanderers. With two days to go, the Test match couldn’t have been more tantalizingly poised with South Africa refusing to concede ground against a hungry Indian team desperate to notch up a historic series win.

If the second day was about India’s ability to counter punch, Wednesday saw South Africa’s resilience and desperation to make a match of it after being set a daunting 240 to level the series.

The pitch is difficult to bat on, there’s variable bounce, and the Indian pace attack has the wherewithal to run through sides. Add to that the wily Ravichandran Ashwin, who loves bounce in the track.

The South African batting, too, doesn’t have an AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla or Faf du Plessis, who are pros when it comes to dealing with adversity. Most of the players are still learning their ropes in Test cricket under a gutsy captain Dean Elgar.