Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disappointment with Team India's bowling performance, labeling it as "listless" during the initial hour on Day 3 at SuperSport Park, Centurion. India struggled to make inroads as Dean Elgar and Marco Jansen confidently stretched South Africa's lead comfortably beyond 100.
"While premier pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj maintained a disciplined line and length, the third and fourth pace bowling options, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna, failed to create any impact. Even the introduction of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin did not yield much assistance from the surface," Gavaskar remarked during his commentary.
The breakthrough finally came in the 95th over when Shardul Thakur dismissed Elgar. The southpaw edged the ball behind the stumps, and KL Rahul took a fine catch.
Gavaskar, still in the commentary box, continued to express his discontent with India's bowling effort, stating, "India has to wake up. They are listless. I can understand on a hot day, an hour after Tea, but not on the first hour of a day."
Former India head coach Dean Jones also criticized the Indian bowling attack, emphasizing the need for them to regroup. "India needs to stop thinking that things will happen for them. They need to get their head back in the game. The real test for India will be how to go from here. They haven’t played a lot of Test matches in recent times. It needs to be seen how India pulls up from here," he remarked.
Earlier, in his farewell Test on his home ground, veteran opener Dean Elgar showcased his class by slamming a century, single-handedly steering South Africa into the lead on day two of the first Test against India at SuperSport Park. Elgar's remarkable innings included a century, marking a poignant moment in his final Test series at home.
