Ex-South Africa Batter Says India “Weren’t Patient Enough” In Johannesburg Test

Ex-South Africa player Daryll Cullinan provided a stern review of Team India’s tactics in the second Test match in Johannesburg after the visiting team lost by seven wickets. Cullinan highlighted the poor lengths bowled by the India bowlers which allowed South Africa to take advantage in their chase of the 240-run target set by India. Cullinan picked out Jasprit Bumrah and compared the areas he bowled in comparison to pacer Kagiso Rabada. Cullinan said that South African bowlers “let the wicket do the job” and play the patient game.

“Let’s go back to when South Africa bowled yesterday [second innings] and India got ahead. Remember, the runs were flowing easy, Marco Jansen and Lingi Ngidi opened and then Rabada came… They allowed the wicket to do the job, they put pressure from both the ends and we saw the results,” he said during a discussion on ESPNCricinfo.

The former South African stated that India weren’t “patient” enough and sometimes looked as if they were “expecting things to happen”. He pointed fingers at India’s tactics and how KL Rahul missed a trick during South Africa’s run-chase.

“Yes, they changed their lengths and used the short ball more against the Indian batters. But it’s remarkable when you think of Bumrah, who took one wicket. In a Test match on a wicket that was not playing well. Invariably, isn’t it true when (the) ball (is) staying down more, then you look to go straighter? I think we mentioned that India weren’t patient enough, almost as if they expecting things to happen. Maybe that was the instruction. But let’s also go to the bowling side, the information off the field as Rahul missed the trick,” he added.

Cullinan explained how South Africa were allowed to score runs “far too easy”, something which again reflected that India had become “too loose in too many basic factors of Test cricket.”

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“They seem to believe and think that things were going to happen, instead of going back to playing the patience game. But ultimately, what brings wickets, good or bad wickets? You try to build pressure from both ends and I think there, they weren’t smart enough. South Africa got the runs far too easy, they had to have made South Africa work so much harder for these runs. And I think it comes down to India’s mindset. I think they were too loose in too many basic factors of Test cricket, one is being consistent in your lines and lengths,” he concluded.

The final Test is scheduled to begin from January 11 in Cape Town.