Faf du Plessis: Aiden Markram should have opted for the DRS

Markram would have survived the lbw shout on the second ball of the day had he opted for the review.

Published : Oct 13, 2019 18:12 IST , Pune

Aiden Markram registered a ‘pair’ in the Pune Test.
Aiden Markram registered a ‘pair’ in the Pune Test.
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Aiden Markram registered a ‘pair’ in the Pune Test.

When India enforced a follow-on against South Africa on the fourth day of the second Test, all the visiting side required was a steady start.

But it turned out to be a forgettable outing for its opener, Aiden Markram, as he fell for a ‘pair’ — it was his second dismissal without scoring in the Test. Identical to his innings dismissal, Markram was trapped leg-before-wicket by Ishant Sharma on the second ball of the day. While he consulted opening partner, Dean Elgar, none of them were sure about taking a review. The television replays later suggested that the ball would have missed the stumps.

After the day’s play, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis admitted that Markram should have gone for a referral. “Of course, definitely,” du Plessis said.

'When there's a doubt, you ask for a DRS'

While on-field umpire Nigel Llong thought it was hitting the stumps, the South Africa captain believes that when in doubt, one should refer to the DRS. “It’s the same thing as umpires getting a decision wrong. You can’t look too deeply into that. Probably, Dean didn’t see the angle of the ball from where he was standing. Definitely when there’s a doubt for me, you ask for a DRS. That’s the mistake on our part… we should have referred that,” the Proteas captain said.

REPORT | India clinches series 2-0

Du Plessis, however, made it clear that the bottom-line was that his team failed to show consistency against a star-studded Indian side. “Consistently we are not competing with the strong Indian team. Even me losing the toss a 1,000 times out of a 1,000, if you’re not consistent with your performance, those small things make a difference.” he said.

Coming into the series after successful outings with South Africa A, where he scored two tons — first against India A, followed by the one against Board President’s XI — Markram has failed to impress in the Test series so far. While he could score 44 in the first Test in Visakhapatnam, a ‘pair’ in Pune added to his woes.

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