India were beaten by South Africa in the first Test match at Cape Town by 72 runs. Despite the loss, we still think Team India’s got enough firepower in their belly to make a comeback in the second Test. Virat Kohli is due for a big knock, and we expect him to come good sooner than later. The inlcusion of KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane in place of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma will surely bolster the batting line-up. India might do away with Ravichandran Ashwin and play Umesh Yadav or Ishant Sharma in his place. A five-bowler pace attack in these bouncy wickets can surely turn the tide in India’s favour.
Also, since India didn’t play a warm-up match, they’ll learn quickly from the mistakes they made in the first Test. Dale Steyn’s absence is also likely to weaken their bowling attack, and you can’t expect Vernon Philander to find his A-Game in all matches.
The team just needs to look back to the Test they played at Durban on December 29th, 2010. India were handed an innings defeat in the first Test, and at Durban, they were bowled out cheaply for 205. A Steyn masterclass saw the ace-quickie pick 6 for 50. After that though, there was no looking back and India bounced back fabulously in the game.
“We realised what mistakes we made in the first innings, so we were trying to create pressure from both ends and focus on our lengths, which were wrong in the first innings. We just tried to correct them and not overdo things because over here, when there is help from the wicket, you try to do extra but that won’t help. So we were just trying to be disciplined and stick to basics,” Jasprit Bumrah said in a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Test. He also added that Indian team’s hasn’t lost their confidence and still believe that there’s plenty of time still left in the series to make a fighting comeback.
“Confidence doesn’t dent after one match. If it happens, then you don’t deserve to play. Learn from the mistake you made, and go forward. There is not a single cricketer who has not made a mistake. You keep learning and you keep improving all the time. We are trying to rectify our mistakes and move forward,” he said.
Whether or not our prediction will come true, only time will tell. We are sure the Proteas aren’t taking us lightly, and it’ll be an exciting match-up full of swinging fortunes. But who will come out on top? Leave your opinions in the comments section below.
