Kotla pitch expected to be dry and slow in Kohli's first Test as captain at 'home'
With the series already clinched 2-0, other teams might play it cool and relax, but not this India. Not this India under Virat Kohli. As has been visible so far in this Test series, this team is confident and doesn't buckle under pressure, nor does it like to let the guard down.
last time Kohli was here at the Feroz Shah Kotla, he was playing under MS Dhoni against the Australians and scored only 42 in the Test. This time though, he's leading the pack and a prime player for the side. At a venue where he was watched and picked after a trial game, where he made his Ranji debut, come Thursday, he will be the skipper of the side which has already beaten the World No.1 side.
The series might be over but it remains an important game for both sides. If India win, they rise up to number 2 in the Test rankings and if South Africa win, they would have saved face of not losing 0-3 which would be a major reason for concern for a team that had come into the four Tests not having lost an away series in the last nine years. In terms of numbers, India have an advantage: the home side have won 9 of the last 10 Test matches here.
Yet again, the focus continues to be on the pitch with the wicket looking dry and expected to be low and the spinners again being the pick of the lot. ICC officials on Tuesday labelled the Nagpur pitch as "poor" and Mohali also leaned towards the same. Bangalore only featured for a day but still resulted in 10 wickets. Kohli and the players have been forced to defend the pitches since the get go and the credit to the spinners — who've picked 47 of the 50 wickets — has not been duly given.
To be fair to the Indians, the Proteas have played the spin poorly as well. Where the pitch hasn't had a major impact, the 'devil in the head' of facing the spinners has forced the visitors to play poor strokes. It looked to change in the second innings of the Test in Nagpur with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis getting some runs and the aim would be to keep that momentum going.
As far as team news is concerned, Dale Steyn is definitely out for the visitors. The groin injury that he picked up in Mohali has prevented him from bowling beyond the 11 overs in Punjab.
Batsman Stiaan van Zyl has amassed a miserable 56 runs in 5 innings in the series and he may get the boot in favour of Temba Bavuma.
For India, the spin troika of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra is likely to be maintained. The question remains whether the Indian management persists with Rohit Sharma or adds a bowler to the mix with the first hour of most Delhi games helping the seamers.
Where the spin has helped the home side bag the series, the batsman have been awfully poor. Murali Vijay at the top of the order — with 195 runs — leads the pack in terms of runs (Cheteshw—ar Pujara is right behind with 160).
Elsewhere, no one has produced runs consistently or in some cases - at all. Startlingly, none of the top five batsmen have been able to accumulate 100 runs in the four completed innings which doesn't bode well for the side's confidence. At one stage, you have to wonder — how much can the bowlers bail you out! It is even more worrying given Indian batsmen are lauded for their technique against the turn — something that hasn't been proven well with part-timer Dean Elgar picking wickets too.
Amla jokes about pitch
There was a roar of laughter when he answered the query on the Kotla track.
"Had a look at it yesterday. Didn't see it today as I came straight here (at the press conference). Wicket can't be changed overnight," he smiled as there was a round of laughter.
For Amla, winning the Delhi Test is important because England series is two weeks away. "Very important to get back to winning ways ahead of England series in two weeks' time. There are no freebies in Test cricket and important to make it 1-2."
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