India slump to their biggest defeat on South African soil in Test history

Intimidated by pace and scarred by extra bounce an underprepared India suffered an embarrassing innings and 32 run loss to a far superior Proteas in the SA vs IND 1st Test which ended inside three daysHaving scored 245 in the first innings the Indian batters managed only 131 in 341 overs in the second innings after South Africa managed a handsome 408 in its first essaySouth Africa thus took an unassailable 10 lead in the twomatch series and Indias dreams of winning a Test series in Rainbow Nation for the first time in 31 years lay in tattersOnly redemption now could be 11 draw if they managed to square the series during the New Years Test in Cape TownIndian team put up a shoddy batting show which signified its cluelessness and singular lack of preparedness for a tough assignment like thisIt has been a horrible last six to seven weeks for skipper Rohit Sharma who lost World Cup final was removed from Mumbai Indians captaincy two weeks back and now didnt look like a leader that made him an instant favourite during the World CupThe team also looked a bit like its skipper dishevelled and without any plan B for course correctionThats that from the Test at CenturionSouth Africa win by an innings and 32 runs lead the series 10Scorecard httpstco032B8Fmvt4 SAvIND pictwittercomSd7hJSxqGKmdash BCCI BCCI December 28 2023The incomparable Kagiso Rabada 232 in 12 overs along with leftarm seamers Nandre Burger 433 in 10 and Marco Jansen 336 in 71 overs made the Indian batters hop skip and jump as the capacity crowd enjoying their Christmas and New Years vacation lapped up every moment of action with great enthusiasmThe result of the SA vs IND 1st Test isnt one bit surprising but the manner of abject surrender will certainly haunt Rohit Sharma for the longest timeAlso ReadSlow and steady finishes the raceSince the Adelaide Test match in 202021 when India were allout for 36 never has an Indian team looked so illequipped to handle conditions that was diabolically opposite of what they get in subcontinentWith Indias third and fourth pacers leaking runs galore South Africa managed 408 in the first innings as Indians gave a lovely farewell present to Dean Elgar who played an uncharacteristically attacking innings of 185 in his penultimate TestEven Marco Jansen 84 not out off 147 balls made merry on a track where fast bowlers would have been licking their lipsWith 163 runs in arrears there was little chance of survival on a track where the ball was flying around and also jagging a fair bitOnce Elgar and Jansen batted India out of the match least one expected was a decent fightback but save Virat Kohli76 who showed why he is cut above the rest in terms of technique and temperament others were found wantingHe was the only one who could partially conquer the bounce and got his body behind the line to cover the seam movement and also rode the bounce to get his 12 boundaries and a sixEarlier veteran Elgar missed out on a welldeserved maiden double hundred but inflicted enough damage on India in company of young Jansen to bat the visitors out of the opening TestElgar whose previous highest Test score is 199 was inching towards his maiden double hundred before a faint tickle to a legside bouncer from Shardul Thakur brought an end to his inningsBut that didnt deter the lanky Jansen not exactly known for his batting prowess from negotiating a deflated Indian attack that looked out of sorts and bereft of ideasWith agency inputs