Johannesburg, January 5: South Africa will have a steep mountain to climb when they chase a 240-run target against India in their fourth innings of the second Test here at the Wanderers when their turn comes.
The highest successful chase South Africa mounted here was 220 for 6 against New Zealand in 2006 and the previous highest was 164 for 6 against the West Indies in 1998.
It will be a tough task for a South Africa side that did not boast of some titans like they had it in the past. They don’t have the batsmen of the calibre of Jacques Kallis or Graeme Smith or AB de Villiers at the moment.
They will depend heavily on skipper Dean Elgar, experienced Temba Bavuma and talented Aiden Markram and Keegan Petersen to surmount the target that India set for them here.
But that would not be any easy task for them against an Indian attack that has the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin. Shardul Thakur too showed he can be quite handy here taking 7 wickets in the first innings.
India will be hoping that pacer Mohammad Siraj has recovered well enough from a hamstring niggle and can bowl at his full tilt in the second innings.
How to bowl at Wanderers?
South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi had said that it is really easy to bowl on Johannesburg wicket and it is about staying patient.
Ngidi's remarks came ahead of the start of Day 3 of the ongoing second Test against India here at the Wanderers.
"I was a bit unlucky earlier, didn't get enough overs to bowl. But it's really simple to bowl on this wicket, you just need to stick to the line outside off and bring the slips into play. It's about the patience game," said Ngidi.
Highest successful run chases at the Wanderers, Johannesburg in Tests.
1. 310/8 by Australia vs SA in November, 2011
2. 294/8 by Australia vs SA in April, 2006
3. 220/6 by SA v NZ in May 2006
4. 164/6 by SA v West Indies in November 1998