There's been no talk of a lack of preparation; the away disadvantage; the difficult conditions. The South African cricketers clearly mean business.
There's been no talk of a lack of preparation; the away disadvantage; the difficult conditions. The South African cricketers clearly mean business.
If Jacques Kallis stole the thunder on the first day, Hashim Amla was the standout performer yesterday, batting almost the entire second day.
Amla's marathon effort (253 not out) is remarkable as the SA batsmen had practically no time to acclimatise.
The tour was hastily scheduled and gave the visitors just one innings in a two-day game (vs Board President's XI) to settle in.
The feature of his game was his monk-like concentration as the Indian bowlers tried every trick in the book but failed to disturb his focus.
Overall on this tour, Amla has scored 325 runs in his two innings without being dismissed (He top-scored with 72 against Board President's XI before retiring to allow his teammates a hit).
Those who watched him bat in the tour opener, were not surprised by the No 3 batsman's success in the first Test.
"He played with all seriousness, like he was paying in the Test match. You could see that he was using the opportunity to adjust to the conditions," said Nagpur-based pace bowler Umesh Yadav, who bowled to Amla in the Board President's XI game," Yadav told MiD DAY. "It was a lesson in the way he made use of the practice game. He did not take any bowler easy, did not play any airy shot and waited for the loose ball."
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