From Guwahati on Nov 26 (LatestNewsX): India hope to draw lessons from the hard‑fought draw they held against England at Manchester earlier this year as they head into the final day of the second Test against South Africa. After chasing 549, the Indians saw the early exit of openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal on day four, leaving the team with a daunting task of keeping their home series from slipping again for a second time in two years.
“That’s the blueprint for saving a game. There’s going to be a lot of important factors today. I think the mentality is going to be top of that list. We’ve seen where the threat is from mainly in the first four days, obviously Jansen’s bounce and the ball does spin.”
So the technical and tactical part of it’s there, but I think mostly the mentality of the players today is going to be the most important aspect we bring, he told broadcasters.
Asked about the team’s current chatter before day five, ten Doeschate admitted: “It’s been brutal. South Africa have been very good and we’re miles behind the game. But somehow we’ve managed to get an opportunity to save the game and the fifth day is going to be crucial in securing a draw.”
When queried on the reasons behind India falling behind, he answered: “I think a variety of factors. I think South Africa have played it perfectly getting to this position. Obviously the toss is important. They batted superbly well for two days.”
He went on to say, “I thought we bowled well for two days, but couldn’t bowl them out. Then unfortunately a below‑par batting performance in the first innings now means we have all the work to do on the fifth day.”
He wrapped up by stressing that the Indian batters must step up: “If the Indian batters apply themselves, they can escape a defeat. Obviously, the ball is still pretty hard. We also felt that it turned slightly more in the morning or it felt that way in any case, maybe with the overnight dew there.”
“So firstly, getting to that first hour is going to be super important. But I think it’s going to be a challenge all day. Like I said, the boys are going to have to really apply themselves to save this game.”
nr/bc
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