Former South Africa left-arm spinner and chief of selectors predicts harder days for Virat Kohli & Co after Cape Town loss, but insists visitors must not lose confidence and self belief
India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan negotiates a bouncer on Day Four of the first Test against South Africa at the Newlands cricket ground in Cape Town on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
For the first time since the inaugural series in 1992-93, an Indian batsman did not score a hundred in a Cape Town Test. Hardik Pandya nearly scored one on Day Two of the recently-concluded Test, but couldn't join Sachin Tendulkar (twice), Mohammed Azharuddin and Wasim Jaffer as Test centurions in Newlands. Pundits reckoned Cape Town would provide the Indian batsmen the best chance in the series to score substantially, but it went pear-shaped So, will the pitches in Centurion (January 13-17) and Johannesburg (January 24-28), the venues of the second and third Test respectively be better-suited to India?
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Omar Henry
Omar Henry, who bowled left-arm spin for South Africa in the 1992-93 series before going on to be his country's chief of selectors, reckons the next two venues will be harder for Virat Kohli & Co. "The pitches there will be bouncier. It's going to be some battle between the South African quicks and the Indian batsmen," Henry, 65, told mid-day from Cape Town, where India lost the opening Test by 72 runs on Monday.
However, things could have been worse for India, as Henry reckoned the visitors would have crumbled had they batted first in Cape Town and their batting order's confidence would have taken a further beating for the remainder of the series. "Not many would have experienced batting on such a pitch. I reckon South Africa were lucky to score 286. The Indian bowlers didn't bowl well overall, especially to AB de Villiers (who ended up top-scoring with 65) and then it was always going to be hard batting last."
Henry has watched a lot of cricket as a player and selector to rule out a sterling comeback from the opposition: "There are tough days ahead, but you learn from every game. You can't lose confidence, you must not lose self belief."
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