Focus on pitch as India clash against SA in Delhi
December 03, 2015 08:59
Welcome to the coverage of the fourth and final Test between India and South Africa at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in Delhi, on Thursday.
The 22-yard strip at the Feroz Shah Kotla will be the cynosure of all eyes as a buoyant India seeks their biggest series triumph against South Africa when they square off in the final Test.
Having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, India are looking for another facile victory against the Proteas, which will propel them to No 2 in the ICC Test rankings.
However, with the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association's ground in Jamtha, Nagpur, incurring the wrath of ICC match referee Jeff Crowe, who rated it sub-standard, the focus in the upcoming Test will be firmly on the playing strip.
Team Director Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli may have shrugged off queries about the pitches prepared for the preceding Tests in Nagpur, Bangalore and Mohali, but they will have to live with it for the next five days.
While the Feroz Shah Kotla track is not expected to be a rank-turner, the primary character of the pitch is of low and slow nature, which is unlikely to change.
India's spin troika have so far accounted for 47 of the 50 South African wickets in the five completed innings across three Tests.
Of them, Ravichandran Ashwin is the leader of the pack with 24 victims to his credit, while Ravindra Jadeja made an impressive comeback with 16 scalps.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra has only seven wickets to his name, but his victims were critical in the context of the twin victories.
If India's bowlers have won them the series, the form of the batsmen have been a major cause for concern.
Murali Vijay, with 195 runs, is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in terms of runs scored as well as quality of batsmanship.
With 160 runs, Cheteshwar Pujara comes a close second. Unbelievable it may sound but only two batsmen Vijay and Pujara - have scored half-centuries in the four completed innings so far. Even more baffling is that none of the other top-order batsmen were able to accumulate 100 runs in the series.
The 22-yard strip at the Feroz Shah Kotla will be the cynosure of all eyes as a buoyant India seeks their biggest series triumph against South Africa when they square off in the final Test.
Having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, India are looking for another facile victory against the Proteas, which will propel them to No 2 in the ICC Test rankings.
However, with the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association's ground in Jamtha, Nagpur, incurring the wrath of ICC match referee Jeff Crowe, who rated it sub-standard, the focus in the upcoming Test will be firmly on the playing strip.
Team Director Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli may have shrugged off queries about the pitches prepared for the preceding Tests in Nagpur, Bangalore and Mohali, but they will have to live with it for the next five days.
While the Feroz Shah Kotla track is not expected to be a rank-turner, the primary character of the pitch is of low and slow nature, which is unlikely to change.
India's spin troika have so far accounted for 47 of the 50 South African wickets in the five completed innings across three Tests.
Of them, Ravichandran Ashwin is the leader of the pack with 24 victims to his credit, while Ravindra Jadeja made an impressive comeback with 16 scalps.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra has only seven wickets to his name, but his victims were critical in the context of the twin victories.
If India's bowlers have won them the series, the form of the batsmen have been a major cause for concern.
Murali Vijay, with 195 runs, is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in terms of runs scored as well as quality of batsmanship.
With 160 runs, Cheteshwar Pujara comes a close second. Unbelievable it may sound but only two batsmen Vijay and Pujara - have scored half-centuries in the four completed innings so far. Even more baffling is that none of the other top-order batsmen were able to accumulate 100 runs in the series.
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