Too little, too late but South Africa can take heart

"We gave it our everything today morning," said Kyle Abbott at the end of day three of the fourth and final Test between India and South Africa. It rang true. After a ragged effort with the bat yesterday, South Africa spearheaded by an incisive Morne Morkel did give it their all in the morning session. Morkel had the batsmen hopping and weaving, as well as protecting their toes. He bowled 17 overs in all and conceded just 29 runs for three wickets. The scorecard doesn't say a lot but the effort from South Africa's bowlers in the first half of the day was impossible to miss. Even the usually inconsistent Imran Tahir conceded far lesser loose balls. It seemed a last-ditch effort to make a match out of the Feroz Shah Kotla Test.

But as has been the case throughout the series, it was shunted down abruptly. Virat Kohli and Ajinky Rahane looked hardly troubled for a large part of their unbeaten 133-run stand.

"I think there was a bit of fatigue setting in. We were on the field for quite a long time. So naturally you do fatigue a bit," said Abbott but also added, "If you look at their partnership, they are going at only a strike-rate of 40. If there's not much happening and they are not going to take risks, it gets even harder. As soon as you push a batsman to play a false shot on any sort of wicket, you're in with a chance. But they batted within themselves and were sheltered. That made it harder. Even when we were trying to tempt them, they left it or patted it back, which was quite frustrating. It is Test cricket. We are testing our skills, and our patience."

The graft from India's duo was clinical. Not only was the lead built but they were tiring out South Africa while ensuring that the pitch wears out. Abbott expected India to declare earlier but the opposition's plan was certainly quite different.

Yet another day ended with India on top. Given the scenario at stumps yesterday, it played out to script. The first hundred partnership of the series was also probably the final stamp of authority from India. Virat Kohli batted with effortless fluency while Rahane's graft allowed him to do so. The calm batting was a far cry from the furore erupting on the sidelines.

For a while, thanks to the political games being played on the sidelines, which included politicians trying to ride on the popularity of cricket, and making pawns out of World Cup winners, the focus of the media drifted. It didn't waver the crowd that was backing the home-town hero Kohli to the hilt. Thankfully, none of the DDCA's mess interfered with the cricket, in which a good contest was transpiring. Pity that it came so late in the series.

South Africa would rue the fact that they couldn't produce the efforts earlier, while India might be wondering if they indeed needed a clear home advantage. There were 'spur of the moments' that created magic. Like the Morkel yorker that ended Shikhar Dhawan's stay.

"It was a plan that was out-of-the-box thinking which sometimes you have to do when the pitch isn't helping you too much and there's only little bit in the air. Sometimes you have to take the pitch completely out of play," said Abbott.

He could say that again. The pitch had to be taken out of the play, and out of the minds of the players as well. Easier said than done but as witnessed today, it only made for good viewing. If only South Africa found this mojo earlier, the series would not have been as one-sided as it has been. Perhaps there are learnings to take away from for everyone.

South Africa were itching to make a contest out of it and seeking all possible avenues, even some gifts from the opposition. They had finally come to terms with all the tribulations of the past and were itching to make it grow. Kohli and Rahane ruthlessly cut it down but South Africa will take heart that this gruel will toughen them further, particularly some of the younger members such as Abbott.