Dale Steyn and Murali Vijay are among the few cricketers around the world right now who have the ability to play the game the Test cricket way.
At a time when the 20-over format is influencing the way the game is played, these are the two players who play Test cricket the conventional way and have answers to the various demands of the format – discipline, patience, perseverance, among various other things.
Though Dean Elgar took home honours for the opening day of the Test series between India and South Africa, it was Steyn and Vijay who did their bits for their respective teams. Vijay was top-scorer for India, while Steyn ensured the Indian batsmen did not make hay on a no-demons first-day surface.
Vijay’s Patient Game
In Test matches since 2013, Murali Vijay has spent a total of 5663 minutes at the crease in 39 innings – that averages just over 145 minutes an innings. Among openers around the world, only Alastair Cook (who has batted 25 innings more) has batted for more time in this period. That clearly explains Vijay’s method to success – bat for long periods of time and wear down the opposition.
Yet again at Mohali on Thursday, he batted for 203 minutes – showcased a good understanding of his own game, displayed high concentration levels and a high degree of discipline. During the course of his 75 – which took the tally of consecutive matches in which he has scored a half-century to 7 – he looked in total control of his game.
When Steyn or Philander landed in the probing area in the corridor on or just outside the off stump, Vijay was on top of his game; he left 11 of the 47 deliveries in that area, middled 30 deliveries, and played and missed or edged the ball on only 6 occasions.
That is a high degree of control given the circumstances – first morning of a Test match, a red new cherry and the world’s best bowler charging in to bowl. It was unfortunate that having done all the hard work, Vijay – who faced with ease the bulk of the overs bowled by the opposition’s most-potent bowler Steyn - couldn’t kick on to a three-figure score.
Steyn’s Disciplined Retort
For South Africa, it was important that they didn’t allow India to race away off the blocks at the start of the day. Steyn played his part in his team successfully keeping tabs on the Indian batsmen. Off the 36 balls he bowled in the first spell, there were only 5 poor deliveries – which either offered the batsman too much width, or were strayed onto the pads of the batsman. The remaining 31 deliveries probed the Indian batsmen – again, and again, and again.
Steyn, who finished wicket-less for the first time in eight Test innings in India (ignoring a wicket-less 2-over spell in Kanpur in 2008), will feel unlucky not to have had any success for his highly disciplined and testing performance. But he will be aware that he asked several questions of the Indian batsmen and will sure know that it needed an equally impressive performance from Vijay to blunt his efforts
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