Guwahati, Nov 22 South Africa batter Tristan Stubbs admitted his side squandered the chance to be in a strong position on Day One of the second Test against India at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.
On the first day, all South African batters in action failed to convert their starts into a substantial score and reached 247/6 in 81.5 overs before bad light forced stumps to arrive early on day one. Stubbs was looking good to get a fifty, but fell for 49 to left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
"I think it's a bit disappointing in the end there. I think all of us in the top six got in, and no one’s really made that big one. I actually think I prefer batting at 3 than anywhere else.”
“It (pitch) played quite nicely, but I think they bowled quite well. It was quite hard to score. But it wasn’t free-flowing. You felt comfortable, but the scoreboard wasn’t going anywhere. So I thought they bowled quite well,” said Stubbs to broadcasters at the end of day one’s play.
Speaking about Kuldeep, who picked 3-48, Stubbs said he still can’t believe that the spinner dismissed him. Stubbs, along with Kuldeep and KL Rahul, who grabbed his catch at first slip, have been teammates at Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL.
“Every time he (Kuldeep) has come on, he’s sort of gone a bit slow with the first ball, and I managed to work his first ball of the spell. If anything, he just beat me with the drift. I can't believe he got me out, and KL caught it! That makes your life that much more difficult,” he said.
Stubbs signed off by hoping the likes of wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and spinner Senuran Muthusamy can get more runs on board for the Proteas. “I think first-innings runs are going to be big. Hopefully Scholesy (Verreynne) and Sen (Muthusamy) can extend for as long as possible tomorrow, and we can bat for as long as possible and then bowl as best we can.”
“I think that’ll be the game plan. Just extend the first innings for as long as we can. Hopefully, the guys who come in now don’t give it away and get 40s, and someone can get 100.”
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