Team India has more experienced test side than South Africa, says Hashim Amla: Former South African legendary batter Hashim Amla reckons team India has more collective experience than South Africa in the test cricket which created a huge difference and owing to which India convincingly thrashed the hosts in the series opener in Centurion. India won the match by 113 runs and gained a lead of 1-nil in the three-match test series.
“They (India) have been a strong unit over the last two years or so. They have more experience collectively and it always makes a huge difference when you have runs on the board to back you up,” said Hashim Amla on the Cricket South Africa website.
The Indian unit comprises several big test match players, which is certainly not the case with South Africa. In the Protea team, only a few players have considerable test exposure. Barring the likes of skipper Dean Elgar, Quinton de Kock(now retired), Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, other players haven’t been a consistent feature in the traditional format.
Amla further said that India firmly held the game in the first innings itself with a good score of over 300. The surface in Centurion is vividly known to be drastic and challenging as the game progresses.
“Centurion is notorious for becoming more difficult to bat as the days progress. So once India won the toss, batted and scored in excess of 300 it was game on for the Protea batters to match that score at the very least,” Amla said.
“Being 130 runs behind is what really hurt them, and it ended up being the difference.”
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“Day one, the pitch looked best for batting and credit to the Indians for playing disciplined cricket,” he said heaping praises on the Indian batsman, openers especially.
The former South African batsman also emphasised, how the hosts pulled up the game on day two and restricted India to around 300, which could have gone to over 400, had India batted well on the second day.
“Not challenging the defence enough. That was day one, but on day two, though, they did extremely well to restrict the Indians to 327. They could have got to 400 plus. The bowlers all had their moments. Lungi (Ngidi), KG (Kagiso Rabada) and the youngster (Marco) Jansen stand out of course.”
Moving ahead he loved watching Temba Bavuma bat, who looked like the lone warrior for SA after Elgar’s wicket. Bavuma scored 52 and 35(unbeaten) in the two respective innings of the Centurion test match against India.
“However, in a relatively low scoring match I enjoyed watching Temba Bavuma. He always looks like he has time and seldom troubled,” Amla added.
India and South Africa will now show up for the 2nd test match of the three-match series. The second encounter is slated to begin on 3rd January in The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. It will be interesting to see whether South Africa manages to pull things off nicely in their favour or India manages to clinch its maiden test series win in South Africa.
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