After their batters were bowled out for 223, the onus is now on India’s bowler to bring them back into the match. On the opening day of the third Test in Cape Town, India tasted success when they dismissed the dangerous Dean Elgar, and a similar performance, even better, will be required if Kohli’s team is to have a shot at registering its first Test series win in South Africa.
On the opening day, a total of 11 wickets, with Jasprit Bumrah picking up the last of them, having Dean Elgar out caught behind cheaply. And on a crucial day, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels Bumrah will be the key bowler for Kohli.
Also Read | India vs South Africa Live Score, 3rd Test, Day 2
“He is the bowler the South Africans worry about most. Look at what Jasprit Bumrah can do. He can bowl the slower delivery. He has got the delivery which leaves the left-hander which is where he got Elgar. He has got the one the one that moves slightly away from the right hander. He has got the fast yorker, the slow yorker. A very sharp bouncer. He has got the goods. He has got everything over there. He unfurls all these weapons very cleverly at the right time,” Gavaskar said on The Byju’s Cricket Live Show in Star Sports.
Bumrah bowled fours overs on Tuesday at the Newlands stadium, all four of which were maidens. Hailing Bumrah, Gavaskar highlighted how the pacer is a fast-bowling asset for any time, but also pointed out that Kohli will need to judiciously use him on a day that promises to be a lot hotter.
“That is the reason we saw that spell – four overs, four maidens. No one could lay a bat to it. Elgar did it and he was caught. So he is going to be the key. So how Kohli uses him and what sort of bursts he gives to him is also going to decide the fate of the Indian team. He has to be used in good short spell,” explained Gavaskar.
