Time has come for Proteas to put India in their place

INDIA have been dominant at home over South Africa for long enough. The time has come for the Proteas to put an end to that run in the two-match Test series, which started early this morning at Eden Gardens.

- ONGAMA GCWABE

For the players, playing Test cricket in India can be a tough experience. Equally, for South African fans watching at home, it can be painful waking up in the early hours of the morning, only to see their team field for 140 overs or more before getting bowled out inside 40.

The frustration is often visible across social media platforms as fans voice their opinions. At times, the players’ frustrations are also clear on the field.

Who can forget the incident in 2019 when Kagiso Rabada and Quinton de Kock went toe-to-toe during a Test in India?

After an unsuccessful over, Rabada collected the ball and threw it over De Kock in anger at why the wicket-keeper hadn't collected it properly. De Kock responded in kind, sparking a heated argument that required then-captain Faf du Plessis to intervene.

In that situation, the real issue was not about mistakes; it was the frustration of being dominated by India in extreme conditions.