Former captains Graeme Smith and Faf du Plessis, along with Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander, have placed South Africa’s batters under the spotlight before the two-Test series in India that starts on 14 November.
South Africa have not won a Test match in India since 2010. Smith believes a bright opening in Kolkata is non-negotiable if that run is to end. “I’m hoping that with the first Test in Kolkata, it’s generally quite a good place to bat, get good value for runs,” he said at an SA20 function in Mumbai. “And it’s a stadium that especially if it’s full, will really make the South Africans motivated to do well in. I think it’s crucial on these types of tours that you start well. If you get behind the game in the subcontinent, it’s very difficult to fight your way back. And the batters in particular are going to really have to step up.”
Amla, who piled up 440 runs on South Africa’s last successful tour of India in 2010, feels the contest could come down to which set of batters adapt first. He reckons the two bowling attacks are “pretty close”, while the travelling line-up’s relative lack of sub-continental baggage might help. Several newcomers have never played a Test in India, so there is no personal scar tissue from the bruising tours of 2015 and 2019.
That lack of experience will be examined quickly. The surface at Eden Gardens is expected to offer early seam movement, plenty of bounce and a bit of reverse swing once the ball roughens up—conditions that suit India’s pace unit every bit as much as their hosts’. From around day three, traditional turn is likely to kick in. It is the sort of pitch that rewards opening batters who leave well and keep the scoreboard ticking, rather than simply hanging around.
“The South African team will definitely be preparing for how they’re going to handle spin. But getting off to a solid start in your top three that can lay a platform for you [is crucial], there’s nothing worse than if you go two or three down and then the spinners come on and you’re against the game already,” Smith warned.
Du Plessis, who scored a century on debut in Adelaide and knows a thing or two about backs-to-the-wall batting, echoed that point. “I feel generally your best chance at having success here (in India) is when you start the series well, especially as a batting unit, get a bit of confidence that you’ve got runs under the belt and you almost put the conditions a little bit out of your head,” he said. “Then the rest of the series definitely will feel easier versus starting and you’re under pressure and it’s low score, low score, you lose the first Test, ball’s spinning a bit more. Then it’s that expectation that this is going to be a hard tour for the team.”
Philander, part of the commentary team this time, likes what he has seen in the nets. He described the group’s build-up as “phenomenal preparation” and told local radio that South Africa have a “massive chance” of upsetting India if they settle quickly. His optimism rests on a spin pairing of Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, backed by the pace of Kagiso Rabada and the reverse-swing skills of Lungi Ngidi. Smith rates that mix. “I think South Africa arrived here with a decent bowling attack, especially in the spin department. [Keshav] Maharaj and [Simon] Harmer can definitely do damage, they can control the game and they have the ability to turn the ball, which is wicket-taking options with spin, and then to see how [Kagiso] Rabada and the likes handle reverse swing. But I think there’s good spin options for Temba [Bavuma] to use as well.”
The issue, as ever on tour, is time in the middle. Kyle Verreynne, Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi are uncapped in India but each had short stints in the IPL, which Philander believes removes at least part of the mystery. They have faced Jasprit Bumrah’s yorker, Ravindra Jadeja’s arm-ball and the cacophony of a full Indian ground. Test cricket, of course, lasts a good deal longer.
For Amla, run management is the bottom line. “If you get 300-plus, your bowlers are in the game; get bowled out for 180 and the pressure returns straight away,” he observed in a television interview. The Proteas did exactly that on their last visit, averaging just 20.7 per wicket across three heavy defeats.
Since arriving on Monday the squad have squeezed in two centre-wicket sessions and a thorough stint against local spinners on a dusty practice strip. They look settled, but reality will bite when Mohammed Shami thunders in with a shiny new SG ball on Thursday morning.
South Africa’s recent 1-1 draw at home to New Zealand suggested progress, yet the sub-continent remains the game’s toughest school for visiting batters. The opening half-hour in Kolkata could set the tone for the entire fortnight. If Smith’s wish for a brisk start comes true, the Proteas might just turn optimism into something more concrete.
