Surprised India confident of winning final Test

New Delhi: Paceman Umesh Yadav admitted India were surprised by South Africa’s relentless blocking on Sunday but had no doubts that the hosts will return on Monday to claim the remaining eight wickets to seal a 3-0 win in the four-match series.

Set a 481-run victory target in a series where they have not gone beyond 185 in an innings, South Africa responded with an extraordinary stonewalling at a run-an-over scoring rate to finish the fourth day on 72-2.

Skipper Hashim Amla led by example, taking 46 balls to get off the mark, and remaining unbeaten after making 23 painstaking runs from 207 balls, the slowest innings of 200 balls or more in Test cricket.

His partner AB de Villiers, who has scored the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in One Day Internationals, showed another side to his otherwise 360-degree batting.

The right-hander took 33 balls to get off the mark and remained not out on 11 off 91 balls, a knock of exemplary grit.

“It was a surprise. We did not expect them to play like this,” Yadav told reporters.

“The way they defended, it was truly a surprise. They were not playing shots and defending every ball, even the ones that could be scored of.”

Their dogged defensive approach on a slow pitch made life difficult for the Indian bowlers, Yadav said.

“It becomes more challenging when batsman is not looking to play his shots. It reduces wicket-taking chances.

“This type of cricket gets boring. You send down ball after ball, and nothing happens. They are under pressure and they are naturally blocking to play as long as possible.”

Yadav said he and pace colleague Ishant Sharma bowled over the wicket trying to create rough patches for the Indian spinners but that did not click.

The 28-year-old right-arm paceman, however, had no doubts that his team would come up with a new strategy to claim the remaining eight South African wickets.

“It’s difficult to bat out the whole day just defending like that. I don’t think we should have problem, we have enough time to bowl them out,” Yadav said.

“Even today, we created chances. They were lucky as some edges fell in gaps.

“It’s not possible that they would bat out an entire day without giving chances. Maybe wicket will turn more tomorrow.”

But South African opener Temba Bavuma asserted that his teammates were determined to fight till the end and conclude their tour on a positive note.

“We managed to sustain the pressure they put on us. This wicket is a bit better than the ones in the earlier three matches. I did not play in those matches but I do think that this is a bit better. Anyway, we managed to hold them back. We aim to carry on tomorrow,” Bavuma said.

The 25-year-old, however, admitted that the advantage rests firmly with India and it would be a miracle if the Proteas manage to avoid defeat.

“It is a tough ask for our batsmen to bat for 90 overs. We expect the wicket to deteriorate even more. We have the experience and skills. But whatever happens, we will go down fighting. Hashim will also be there. Dane Vilas is due to bat next. So definitely we will carry on the fight and try our best to draw this game,” he said.

Bavuma, who is playing his first match on this tour, felt that the hosts were not expecting the Proteas to be ultra defensive in their batting and are struggling to counter the visitors’ strategy.

“May be it was something they weren’t expecting. As a batting unit, we sat down just before we went on in the second innings, and decided that this was the best way to go and we will tackle the challenge ahead,” the right-hander asserted.

The diminutive youngster, who made his Test debut in 2014, informed that he found it difficult to curb his natural instincts and bat defensively, but hoped that the experience will help him to improve as a batsman.

“It was tough for me. I always try to be positive and score runs. We are in a situation where runs are not a priority. The amount of time you bat out there was the key,” said the African, who scored 34 of 117 balls.

“I took a lot of confidence from the experience. I just hope that I go on to become a better batsman from here. I am keen to do more of the opening job. Whenever the opportunity arises or the team feels that I can fulfil a role, I will do it.”