Barring ABD, SA batsmen looked like rabbits caught in headlights: Pat Symcox

Taking a dig at the inability of the South African batsmen to tackle the Indian spinners, former SA off-spinner Pat Symcox termed the visitors’ batters — with the exception of AB de Villiers — “rabbits caught in headlights.”

“To be blunt, the Bangalore Test was a total disaster for South Africa from the time the match started until the heavens opened up. The South African batsmen, aside from ABD, looked like rabbits caught in headlights. They failed to deal with spin that really wasn’t even extreme. Even India’s fast bowlers had us hopping around at times,” Symcox wrote in his column for Sport24.

The 55-year-old added: “From a personal perspective, it was really painful to see the fall of the last few scalps. It hurt to see the way wickets were given away when the team was in desperate trouble. The final run out of Kyle Abbott took the cake.

“Amla is shy on form and Faf has battled in all three outings. The likes of Stiaan van Zyl and Dane Villas have no experience to call on during these trying times and by now totally understand why playing in India is talked about as being a tough assignment. Learning how to rotate the strike whilst under pressure is not a commodity you can pick at your local supermarket. It is a skill that demands time at the crease.”