Former Indian cricket team’s wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has stated that Mohammed Siraj being absent for the majority of the 2nd Test is one big reason behind India’s loss against South Africa in the 2nd Test match.
The 27-year-old right-arm pace bowler suffered a hamstring injury during the 1st inning and could not only bowl 9.5 overs in that inning. And even though he tried to bowl in the 2nd inning, he was not up to the mark.
South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar’s resilient batting in the 2nd inning took the match away from India’s hand. Elgar scored a brilliant 96 runs not out from 188 balls, and was adjudged Man of the Match, helping South Africa to level the series.
Dinesh Karthik on Mohammed Siraj
Talking further about Siraj, he ended the 2nd innings with 6 over bowled and gave away 37 runs with an economy rate of 6.16 after initially bowling 9.5 overs in the first inning. Karthik believed that Siraj’s hamstring injury put him in a lot of pain, causing him to be less than his finest, stated the former India international to Cricbuzz.
Karthik furthermore praised Shardul Thakur, who took seven wickets in South Africa’s first innings and conceded 61 runs in 17.5 overs. Thakur also managed to get rid of Aiden Markram in the 2nd inning, but it was just a desperation.
Furthermore, Karthik lauded Cheteshwar Pujara as well as Ajinkya Rahane for their valuable half-centuries there in 2nd innings. Both Pujara as well as Rahane have recently received criticism for failing to meet that standard and have been underperforming.
South Africa vs India 2nd Test 2022
Talking about the match, India was restricted to 202 runs in their first inning, before South Africa scored 229 runs and took a lead of 27 runs.
Riding on fifties from both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, India managed to put 266 runs on the board in their 2nd inning, setting up a target of 240 runs for the Proteas.
The rain played spoilsport on Day 4’s play for 2 sessions, before the play resumed after the tea break. South Africa batted with more pace than what you normally see in Test cricket and wrapped up the match on Day 4 itself, even though only 1 session of play was possible.
South Africa have now levelled the series with 1 match to go. The third match will begin from the 11th of January in Cape Town. India would look to create a history with a win there, as it could turn out to be India’s first Test series win in South Africa.
