
NEW DELHI – South Africa had prepared for a spin onslaught in India but their batsmen were left flummoxed by the hosts' seam attack, captain Faf du Plessis said after his side's 3-0 defeat in a test series that concluded on Tuesday.
India's fast bowlers, rarely expected to make a mark on docile surfaces at home, picked up 26 wickets in the three tests with their spin-bowling colleagues accounting for 32.
That is a significantly higher haul than the eight wickets they claimed versus the spinners' 61 scalps when South Africa toured in 2015 for a four-test series, which the hosts won 3-0.
“Obviously we spoke about this before the series, the mindset coming here, especially after 2015 was, prepare yourself for a lot of spinning tracks,” du Plessis said at the presentation after India won by an innings and 202 runs in the last test held in the eastern city of Ranchi.
“And it's been the opposite, it's actually been really good cricket wickets. A lot in it for the bowlers, a lot in it for the batters, so fantastic test cricket to be played.