IF THERE was anything that lacked big time in Indian cricket team’s outing in the second Test against South Africa at Wanderers, then it was INTENT. The Indians had the skill, talent and the men to execute all plans but their entire performance was marked by lack of intensity which caused them the Test and allowed hosts South Africa to draw parity in the series. What difference intent can make was proved by the Proteas’ captain Dean Elgar who stood like a rock against the best Indian attack in contemporary times and took his team home.

 

The guts that Elgar showed with his resolute knock was totally missing in the Indian players in the entire game. The batsmen came as a cropper in the first innings while the bowler just went through the motions in the second essay. It was clearly a case of overconfidence after the historic victory to breach Fort Centurion. It came out strikingly in the way Rishabh Pant got out with a ridiculous shot in the second innings. It had a ripple effect on Indian bowlers’ response while defending a total of 240. They were cocksure of the South Africans’ surrender and waited for things to happen on their own. This is not how a world beater team behaves.