The Indian team failed to defend a 240-run fourth-innings target in the second Test against South Africa. The loss helped the hosts draw level in the three-match series and prolonged the visitors’ wait for a Test series win in the Rainbow Nation.
Aakash Chopra Expected More From Ravichandran Ashwin
While reflecting on Team India’s bowling performance in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Ravichandran Ashwin was not penetrative enough.
He elaborated: “To be very honest, I expected more from Ashwin. Ravindra Jadeja also picks the same number of wickets, probably scores more runs and is a better fielder. I am not saying that he should have taken a five-wicket haul but I did expect a few more wickets from Ashwin.”
The former India opener added that pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami also fell short of the lofty standards they have set.
Aakash Chopra observed: “We saw a rare off day, you didn’t pick up wickets. It was slightly an off Test match for Bumrah, it was slightly an off Test match for Shami as well. The performance was not up to the standards we have seen.”
Jasprit Bumrah picked up just one wicket in the entire match and was quite expensive in the second innings. Mohammed Shami did scalp three wickets in the game but did not look too threatening enough with the ball.
Skipper Dean Elgar led from the front with an unbeaten 96 off 188 balls to take his team home in 67.4 overs. The other crucial contributions came from Aiden Markram (31), Rassie van der Dussen (40), Keegan Peterson (28), and Temba Bavuma (23 not out of 45).
Aakash Chopra: Undoubtedly Mohammed Siraj’s Absence Was Felt In The 2nd Test
While stating that the desperation to take wickets was evident on the fourth day, Aakash Chopra lamented the easy boundaries the Indian bowlers conceded at the start of the South African innings. The rain had washed out the first two sessions. A minimum of 34 overs was to be bowled in the day. As it turned out, South Africa needed only 27.4 overs of those to knock off the remaining 122 runs.
He said: “Did our bowling unit not really stand up for the first time in many-many Test matches? There was too much desperation seen on the last day. To be very honest, we didn’t start our bowling well. The six boundaries we got hit for by Markram, most of them were on the leg side.”
However, the renowned commentator did agree that the Indian bowling lineup was hampered due to pacer Mohammed Siraj’s injury.
Aakash Chopra stated: “If you give so many fours, the match runs very quickly. And then when we came on the last day, we gave a lot of extras, five runs off wide deliveries. There is no doubt that Siraj’s absence was felt.”
Mohammed Siraj suffered a hamstring injury early in the South African first innings. Although he returned to the field and bowled a few overs, he seemed to lack rhythm and did not pose too many challenges for the Proteas batters.
On the very first day of the game, the 27-year-old Mohammed Siraj hobbled off the park after tweaking his hamstring as he pulled up in his delivery stride. After bowling 9.5 overs in the first innings, Mohammed Siraj finished with figures of 6-0-37-0 in the second and bowled at an economy of 6.16.
South African skipper struck a gritty, unbeaten 96 as South Africa chased down 240 with seven wickets in hand to consign India to their first-ever defeat in Johannesburg. The victory also meant South Africa kept the three-match series alive, going into the final Test in Cape Town.
South Africa 229 (Petersen 62, Bavuma 51, Thakur 7-61) and 243 for 3 (Elgar 96*, van der Dussen 40, Ashwin 1-26) beat India 202 (Rahul 50, Ashwin 46, Jansen 4-31, Rabada 3-64, Olivier 3-64) and 266 (Rahane 58, Ngidi 3-43, Jansen 3-67) by seven wickets