Daijiworld Media Network

Nagpur, Nov 27 : It's an extremely important day for South Africa. They have not lost an away Test series since 2006 against Sri Lanka. Now, having already lost the first Test and with a big mountain to climb here in Nagpur, they need to play out of their skins to keep their unbeaten record intact. Can Hashim Amla and Co. deliver the necessary goods? It's sure going to be tough for them because the Indian spinners are high on confidence at the moment. The pitch is tailor-made for the likes of Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra to continue their party.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli and Co. would be confident of sealing this inside 2 sessions today. Yesterday Ashwin mentioned that the pitch has slowed down a bit and that the spinners needed to beat the batsman in flight from here on. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out. Second day's morning session was manic. It sure is going to be an action-packed first couple of hours today as well.

Pitch Report: 'The pitch hasn't really deteriorated. Patience is the key today for South Africa. This is an Indian pitch and it will turn. Unfortunately the batsmen from both the sides have not shown the determination to bat on this and that is why we saw so many wickets fall. If South Africa are patient, it will take them close, but it is going to be India's day,' reckons Sunil Gavaskar.

Yesterday, the Proteas were simply blown away by the spin trio for their lowest ever Test total against India. After a good night's rest, the fingers would be fresh and the tweakers will be itching to spin a web again. A lot depends on Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy. In fact, yesterday Duminy showed the rest of batting line-up how to bat on this surface. The form of Amla and du Plessis is a big concern for the visitors. While Amla has managed to score just 54 runs in the series so far, Faf has managed a mere 11. Now these are two big names in the South African batting line-up mind you.