IND vs SA, 2nd Test: South Africa will aim to bundle India under 200, says Petersen

Keegan Petersen, who came up with his first Test half-century on Tuesday, said a 200-plus total would be a difficult ask for the Proteas against a strong Indian bowling attack.

Keegan Petersen (centre) said the South Africans would like to chase anything below 200.

Keegan Petersen said the South Africans would like to chase anything below 200.

“Over 200, with their bowling on this pitch, it could get difficult for us. The surface is not getting any better. Hopefully, we can get them all out quickly tomorrow,” he said.

Petersen, who came up with his first Test half-century on Tuesday, a stroke-filled innings of 62, said, “The India pacemen came with their guns blazing in the morning. We had to bat through that tough period.”

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Asked where his solidity and technique came from, Petersen replied, “It came naturally to me. I have been batting like this since I was a kid.”

Petersen added, “My dad was a club cricketer, and he would take me along to matches. And he would bowl thousands of deliveries.”

The South African was happy with how the Proteas batted in the first innings. “A couple of us could have gone on to bigger scores, but overall, it was a good performance. The quality of bowling was good.”

Petersen revealed he had worked on a couple of shortcomings after the first Test. “We identified a couple of areas.”

He felt a blatantly attacking batting ploy might not succeed on this pitch. “You have to defend the good balls and then scoring opportunities would come.”

Petersen will remember the Wanderers all his life. After all, this is the venue where he came up with his first innings of substance in Test cricket.