Shaun Pollock, the ex-Protea skipper reckons having a high backlift is making scoring difficult for the opener of India Mayank Agarwal and his Proteas counterpart Aiden Markram in the ongoing 3 matches Test series.
Mayank Agarwal has scored 135 runs in six innings at an average of 22.50, with a solitary half-century. Aiden Markram has fared even worse, managing only 60 runs in five innings at an average of 12.
Shaun Pollock Reckons Mayank Agarwal And Aiden Markram Have Issues On Surfaces Where There’s Movement Off The Air And Seam
Mayank Agarwal was caught behind for 7 off Kagiso Rabada’s bowling in India’s second innings on Wednesday. Analyzing both the openers’ woes, Shaun Pollock said that the duo of Aiden Markram and Mayank Agarwal have high backlifts which cause problems in conditions where there is movement through the air and off the seam.
“I think he’s got a little bit of a similar thing to Markram. I have never been a fan of guys who pick the bat up steep and keep it close. In order to defend or play, you’ve got to, sort of drop it into the slot. Guys who have their backlift quite low to the ground, Kallis, Root, Kohli to a degree, AB de Villiers, they can be soft on what they decide to do. When they want to bail out of a shot, they are not 100 percent committed to the downswing,” said Shaun Pollock.
The South African legend Shaun Pollock pointed out that batters can adjust their high backlift in subcontinental conditions, where the ball doesn’t nip around. However, the case is not the same in a place like South Africa.
Shaun Pollock added: “Him and Markram have a similar kind of issue on these surfaces that are nipping around. On flatter surfaces in India, you can rely on your bat speed and get away with it. But when you are asked (questions) by the movement through the air and off the seam, sometimes he (Agarwal) is found wanting. That may be something he has to have a look.”
In his last 14 innings in away Tests, Mayank Agarwal has scored only one half-century, which came in the first innings of the Centurion encounter. In the first innings too, Mayank Agarwal was dropped on 0, before he scored 15 before edging Kagiso Rabada to second slip, where Aiden Markram completed an easy catch.
Mayank Agarwal started the 3 Test series against South Africa on a promising note, scoring a 123-ball 60 in difficult conditions in Centurion. But his form tapered off after that, with scores of 4, 26, 23, 15, and 7 in the next five innings.
Dinesh Karthik Reckons Ravichandran Ashwin Will Come Into The Game Very Much In The 4th Innings
The visitors ended Day 2 of the Cape Town Test with a lead of 70 and eight second-innings wickets in hand. According to wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli-led India should feel comfortable if they score 270.
He stated: “Both teams haven’t batted to their potential. SA have a far lighter batting compared to India. But India, a lot of times, they start well but somewhere they seem to fritter away a bit. For me, if they can manage anything above 270, I think they would be sitting pretty in this Test match.”
Dinesh Karthik opined that off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has had a quiet series in pace-friendly conditions, might finally have a decisive role to play.
He elaborated: “Ashwin will come into the game very much in the 4th innings. Anything under 240, South Africa will fancy themselves. A lot will depend on Dean Elgar. He is the glue that holds South Africa together. If they get him out early, any score is going to be hard enough for South Africa.”
India will resume their second innings on 57 for 2, with Virat Kohli unbeaten on 14 and Cheteshwar Pujara on 9. India bundled out South Africa for a paltry 210, gaining a small lead of 13 runs at the halfway stage of the match. There are still three days left in the ongoing Test match. It will be interesting to see if India can bat throughout the third day or if South Africa will make early inroads.