NEW DELHI: As play resumed after lunch at Centurion on Wednesday, former Indian coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri, who is presently providing commentary for the ongoing red-ball series against South Africa, took aim at captain Rohit Sharma's strange on-field strategies.
South Africa reached lunch at 49/1 after India, spearheaded by KL Rahul's 101, were bowled out for 245 runs.
To the astonishment of Shastri and the other commentators, Rohit began the second session by bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur and rookie pacer Prasidh Krishna rather than Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.
Making the most of this was opener Dean Elgar, who is playing in his swansong series. He found the fence at will and eventually raced to his 14th Test century.
1/10:1st Test, Day 2: South Africa take lead against India
Getty Images
2/10:South Africa
<p>Dean Elgar and David Bedingham took South Africa into the lead on the second day of the first Test against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday. </p>AP
3/10:Vital stand
<p>Elgar made a boundary-studded 140 not out and Bedingham an assured 56 as South Africa reached 256/5 - a lead of 11 runs - when bad light stopped play. </p>Getty Images
4/10:Temba Bavuma
<p>Two late wickets kept India in the game, as there was no sign that South African captain Temba Bavuma would bat after suffering a hamstring strain on the first day. </p>AP
5/10:KL Rahul
<p>KL Rahul scored 101 - his second century in successive matches in Centurion - and was last man out when India were dismissed for 245. </p>Getty Images
6/10:Challenging start
<p>Elgar had to survive a challenging start against Indian new ball bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. </p>Getty Images
7/10:Fluent strokeplay
<p>Elgar hit some of the most fluent strokeplay of his career when India surprisingly did not use the two strike bowlers immediately after lunch. </p>Getty Images
8/10:14th Test ton
<p>Elgar reached his fifty off 79 balls with ten fours and his 14th Test century was made off 140 deliveries with nine more boundaries. </p>Getty Images
9/10:David Bedingham
<p>Bedingham went into his debut Test with seven fours and two sixes in an 87-ball innings while helping Elgar add 131 for the fourth wicket. </p>Getty Images
10/10:Mohammed Siraj
<p>But India came back strongly after tea, with Siraj bowling Bedingham with a full delivery. </p>APIn commentary, Shastri stated that, in any pecking order, Shardul and Krishna would be the last to begin play following lunch, and that, in his time as coach, India would always open a session with their two best bowlers.
"On any pecking order, these two (Shardul and Prasidh) would have been the last to start the proceedings (after lunch)," said Shastri on commentary.
"That is something that we have had a discussion multiple times when I was the coach. And more often than not we decided to go with the best two bowlers at the start of the session," he added.
After dismissing Tony de Zorzi for 28, Bumrah gave India a much-needed breakthrough by breaking the 93-run partnership for the second wicket.
Indian skipped a trick, according to former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, by not allowing Bumrah and Siraj to open the second session.
"Clearly India missed the trick. This is something Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma must have thought about during the break and then decided to go with Prasidh and Shardul," he said in commentary.
Vernon Philander, a former Proteas seamer, stated on television that the Proteas gained much-needed momentum after lunch when South Africans scored runs off the bowling of Krishna and Shardul.
"Perhaps they wanted to preserve him (Bumrah) after the 6-over spell he bowled (before lunch). I think it's a window of opportunity that India lost. India gave away 42 runs and that gave South Africa the momentum after lunch. They lost an opportunity," Philander said.
(With ANI inputs)
