Johannesburg: South Africans were never known to be poor losers. But after losing three straight tosses in India seems to have clearly unnerved Captain Faf du Plessis, so much so that the embattled Test captain has suggested doing away with the toss in the five-day format.
He has further reasoned that if there was no toss in Test cricket and the away side were allowed to bat first, his team would have stood a better chance against India in the recently concluded Test series.
The skewed reasoning is understandable considering that the Proteas ended up losing 3-0 and were hardly able to put up a semblance of a fight at any point in the series.
"Every Test match they bat first, they score 500, they declare when it's dark, they get three wickets when it's dark and when day three starts you are under pressure. It was like copy and paste in every Test match," Du Plessis said.
The captain believes getting rid of the toss in Test cricket would help teams compete better when they travel away from home. "(If the toss is removed) then away teams will have a better chance. In South Africa I don't mind that, we bat on green tops anyway."
The comment has not gone down well with many Indian fans who think that it was nothing more than an excuse. "And if you thought Faf du Plassis was done with giving horrible excuses, you're wrong. This guy won't stop. Ridiculous," a fan wrote.
"Look, if the captain of the side has this mentality, the team can never bounce back. NEVER. You saw that in the World Cup. You saw the same in the Test series in India. Faf needed to do what Kohli did to India in SA after 2 Tests, not what he did here," another fan said.
There were some who held back because of the fact that Du Plessis is also a Chennai Super Kings player. "Want to take a dig at Faf du Plessis but the CSK fan in me is holding me back," said one such fan.
"This man simply don't know how to accept the defeat," another fan wrote. Some pointed out that the pitches during the series were closer to what the Proteas would have found in South Africa.
"He's doing a disservice to himself, his stature and post, and his team, with these comments. Bavuma said that Pune was like a South Africa wicket, and they had full use of it. And yet, their bowlers kept bowling crap until India declared. Why not accept your own shortcomings first?"
Du Plessis, however, also pointed out that South Africa's woes don't have any quick fixes. This series follows a dismal performance in the World Cup in which South Africa won just three out of nine matches and failed to make it past the group stage.
