If the first day’s play between India and South Africa in Nagpur was bound to attract criticism, the second day was just worse. The pitch at the VCA Stadium was an utter nightmare for the batsmen, as run making in Nagpur seemed to be like finding an ocean in the middle of a desert.
It may seem completely ironic, but as the day began, Elgar and Amla walked out to bat. As the day ended, it was the same duo who walked back to the pavilion, but in different innings. The first session might well have been enough to hand India the series. As many as 8 South African wickets fell, as Ashwin and Jadeja raked misery for the visitors. Even South Africa’s best batsman AB De Villiers could not trouble the scorers, as Jadeja had the better of him.
South Africa were bowled out for 79, thus creating a few records in itself. India’s response with the bat wasn’t too great either, as the hosts played some dismal shots to gift the Proteas some easy wickets. Barring Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara, no one batsman looked like settling in. 46.3 overs were enough to dismiss the Indians. South Africa eventually ended the day on 32-2, needing another 278 runs to win the game.
Below, are the statistical highlights for the second day’s play.
1. 20. The number of wickets falling on the second day. This is the joint highest for a test played in India.
2. 2nd. Van Zyl became the second batsman to be dismissed on 5 consecutive occasions by an Indian bowler (Ashwin). The first batsman was Ricky Ponting, who was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh in 5 consecutive innings.
3. 1. The number of instances when a total in excess of 300 has been successfully chased in the fourth innings of a test in India.
4. 32. The number of wickets falling in the first two days of the match. Such a feat has occurred only once before since 1912.
5. 79. South Africa’s total in the first innings was the lowest total for which India has bowled a side out.