In a city of happy hosts who go to any extent to make their visitors comfortable, India has potentially thrown the biggest curve ball possible to South Africa even before a ball has been bowled in the one-off Test between the nations starting here on Friday.
The red soil surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which for large part of matchday eve looked like a dust bowl, will pose the hardest challenge to the Proteas with its spin potency in the red-ball fixture.
This isn’t limited to the side’s wobbly manoeuvring of spinners but also about its deficient spin resources in the Test squad. While India boasts of some of the best spinners in the format – think Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Sneh Rana, all primary bowlers – in its ranks, the Proteas are scratching the end of the barrel looking for more spin resources.
There’s the versatile left-arm spin option in Nonkululeko Mlaba and a bunch of off spinners in Nondumiso Shangase, Delmi Tucker and Anneke Bosch. The most interesting turn for the spin contingent has to be Sune Luus’ surprising switch from leg-spin to off-spin.
– Lavanya L
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IND-W vs SA-W, One-off Test: A comfortable host, a nervy visitor and a dust colosseum waiting to challenge
The red soil surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which for large part of matchday eve looked like a dust bowl, will pose the hardest challenge to the Proteas with its spin potency in the red-ball fixture starting on Friday, June 28.