India dominate, but questions over Rohit and Dhawan
Sanjay Manjrekar weighs in on day three of the Delhi Test, which ended with India in a commanding position, leading by 403 runs
ESPNcricinfo staff
05-Dec-2015
'Batting in difficult conditions showed Kohli's class'
Despite receiving plaudits for his attacking captaincy, scores of 1, 29, 22 and 16 coming into this Test meant Virat Kohli had not been in the best of form with the bat. However, Kohli's enterprising half-century in the second innings impressed Manjrekar, who lauded Kohli's temperament for battling through when the chips were down.
'Defending not Dhawan's strength'
One disappointment for India was that Shikhar Dhawan was unable to shake off his patchy run of form, getting bowled for 21. Dhawan has rarely ever built upon his slow starts, which has Manjrekar wondering if the opener can ever get accustomed to defensive cricket.
'Wrong move shifting Rohit to No.3
Another issue India will have to address in the future is the place of Rohit Sharma in the XI. Manjrekar feels that the hosts miscalculated by switching the positions of Pujara and Rohit, who he believes should be playing lower down in the Test team, if at all.
'No rush to declare'
India had the chance to enforce the follow on on South Africa, but in a series dominated by the bowlers, and with two more full days of play left, it is understandable that the batsmen would be relishing the chance to finally play a long innings.
'Seeing a Morkel we've never seen before'
A lone positive for South Africa on day three was the performance of Morne Morkel, who bowled with pace and venom to rattle the Indian batsmen during the morning and afternoon sessions.
'SA may have found a way to manage Tahir better'
Giving Imran Tahir enough boundary riders meant that the legspinner had adequate protection even when his bowling was loose, says Manjrekar.