NAGPUR, India (Reuters) – Dale Steyn produced yesterday one of the best spells by a fast bowler on Indian soil, generally regarded as a graveyard for speed merchants. The South African fast bowler showed he was a bowler for all conditions as he combined express pace and reverse swing to return career-best figures of seven for 51.
Steyn wiped out India’s lower order in the first innings by taking five wickets for three runs with classic reverse swing after he provided the visitors’ early breakthroughs with conventional swing.
The world’s top-ranked bowler had dismissed Murali Vijay for four with one that swung back after setting him up with two outswingers.
He then had Tendulkar caught nibbling to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher to put the pressure on India, who were bowled out for 233 in reply to South Africa’s first innings total of 558-6 declared.
“You work on these things and then it’s nice to see guys shoulder arms and then the ball cannons into the stumps,” Steyn told reporters, referring to Vijay’s dismissal.
“I got (England’s Ian) Bell like that in Johannesburg and that was where it started. It’s a skill that you have to have in your armoury as a pace bowler,” he said of last month’s drawn series.
Steyn said a lot of planning had gone into the tour with conditions in India being difficult for fast bowler.
One thing that does happen in our side is that information gets passed on,” he said. “When those guys leave, they pass it on to the remaining guys.
Information on these wickets and how to bowl in these conditions will remain in our team. It’s up to the players in the side to actually go out there and execute the plans.”
Steyn, who took five wickets to blow away India for 76 in the Ahmedabad Test victory in 2008, attributed his post-tea magic to a ball change as well as his chat with coach Corrie van Zyl at the break.
“From tea onwards is what really defines a player,” Steyn said. “You’ve already been out in the field four hours and now you’ve got to go and do another two. When you come to India, the days do tend to get warm and there’s no real movement off the deck.
“There’s nothing really happening, so little speeches like that can lift the players a lot.”