Is the Pitch that bad?

[kabira]

I still can't believe 18 wicket were lost today.. Remember no overcast conditions, clear skys, no rain, pitch did quicken up...And as per local Pollock BAtting wind was flowing... If you see most of the wickets were stupid shots...ofcourse some good deliveries..like Smith, ABV dismissals.. All and all, batsman have failed to apply themselves.. The pitch requires lot of patience. Ofcourse there is bounce, but there isnt much lateral movement once ball gets old.. I think we need 350 to win ...if we have 250 or les we have to rely on Zaheer and Bhajji brilliance and bit of luck (like Kallis's dismissal)

[Andy]

It was pretty much Unplayable on Day 1, It eased out on Day 2. I agree that most of the dismissals were because of poor shots , some being exception.

[Dravid]

naaw man, its a sporting wicket, seaming wicket, its what test cricket is all abut yo... if its over tomorrow then batsmen suck, all their faultt...fools cant play shyt..

[kabira]

this was only the seventh time since 1935 that no batsman from either team has made a half-century in the first innings.

[gs]

this was only the seventh time since 1935 that no batsman from either team has made a half-century in the first innings.

From the looks of it so far, might not happen in the second innings either.

[kabira]

Seems like SAcan can't handle extra bounce...If someone tells you that Indians struggle when there is an extra bounce show them this numbers 138, 133 and 131....LOL at SA

[gs]

Losing 2 wickets to that trundler TsoTsobe was a brain fart. Otherwise team India has performed way better than anyone's expectations! Let's count on SAF consistency on choking in crucial matches and wrap this one up tomorrow! :--D

[kabira]

well you never know giving wicket to TsoTsobe was ploy so that he keeps his spot in next game :haha:

[fineleg]

The wicket is lively, but there are poor shots from both teams. If a batsman can apply himself, he can get a 50 or 70. DaburAmla is the man in form, he is in super touch to be able to guide SA to a great platform. And J. Kallis in great form too (unlucky runout). You will see a good score from Dabur and Jacque in 2nd Inn. And India gifted some wickets when we batted too both in the first session (Dhoni and tail) and the 2nd Inn too.

[Guest Gunner]

Its interesting that none of you have mentioned the magnificent bowling from steyn, morkel, zaheer and harbhajan. Yes there were some dismissals due to failure of application but a lot of it had to do with brilliant bowling. Steyn was ****ing unplayable at moments. I watched bot innings and I can tell you there was some terrific bowling from both sides.

[fineleg]

"Pitch has runs in it", says Bhajji. "There's nothing wrong with the wicket, it's still a good one. If you bowl in the right areas, there is a little bit of extra bounce but no lateral movement. The bowlers have a chance to get wickets, but the way Hashim was going, batting was looking simple. It's the kind of wicket where if a batsman gets in, he needs to make full use of it. I don't know how 18 wickets fell in a day on this wicket." said Harbhajan Singh.

[vvvslaxman]

Losing 2 wickets to that trundler TsoTsobe was a brain fart. Otherwise team India has performed way better than anyone's expectations! Let's count on SAF consistency on choking in crucial matches and wrap this one up tomorrow! :--D

That was my biggest and annoying thing. It is one thing you get pwned by Steyn. We have no so much grudge. Even Morkel. But Tsotso.. that was outrageous.

[f.b.m]

It was a combination of tail end wickets, bad shots, bad luck and some amazing bowling.

[gaurav92]

Great bowling from both the sides.I think the bounce in the track made Bhajji's day, and he was clearly the difference between the two sides.

[suraj]

That was my biggest and annoying thing. It is one thing you get pwned by Steyn. We have no so much grudge. Even Morkel. But Tsotso.. that was outrageous.

Well sometimes when batsmen go after the weakest link the weakest link ends up picking the wickets not a big deal

[ravishingravi]

I don't believe the pitch has any demons. Indian batsmen should have played better. They had a golden chance to put this beyond SA. Now as we stand it is 50-50. SA have a good chance.

[gaurav92]

If they can knock us over, under 200, they have a good chance of winning.

[suraj]

I don't believe the pitch has any demons. Indian batsmen should have played better. They had a golden chance to put this beyond SA. Now as we stand it is 50-50. SA have a good chance.

Yeah score of 150 with 4 down in second innings wud have been really good

[jaihind]

well you never know giving wicket to TsoTsobe was ploy so that he keeps his spot in next game :haha:

lol good one man....:two_thumbs_up:

[Dinx - the Jinx]

had this happened on day2 of a test match in india (15+ wickets due to some poor batting and rash shots from the batters) the so called pundits would have been out taking a swipe at the quality of indian pitches. WTF :banghead: if it happens in SA or Australia with Fast bowlers picking wickets, then everyone is like..awww... excellent wicket, batsmen dint play patiently and if spinners bowl well on an indian wicket with a combination of little bit of assistance from the pitch and impatient batting from batters, then there is nothing wrong with the batsmen, only pitch is of sub-standard quality. For me, if a pitch that takes turn on day 1 and 2 is considered sub standard, then any pitch with extra grass on it in the first day is also sub standard.Having grass cover on the pitch also results in variable bounce, cos when the ball lands on a thick grass it takes off much more than expected, same like a ball pitching on a crack and turning viscously.