MS Dhoni sees a silver lining in the performance of Indian bowlers

PTI

Fans may be dismaying over India's performance in South Africa but for former India captain MS Dhoni it's not all doom and gloom for Virat Kohli's men, who have already conceded the three-game series.

India's batting in both Tests – in Cape Town and Centurion – crumbled under pressure, taking the gilt off the gingerbread as far as the Indian bowlers were concerned.

The batting performances, that saw the visitors unable to chase down 208 and 287 at Newlands and SuperSport Park, have been so bad that now nobody appears to remember the great work the Indian bowlers, especially the quickies, have put in so far in the series.

Not Dhoni, who seems to believe in the phrase "give credit where credit is due". "...To win a Test match you need 20 wickets. We have taken 20 wickets. That is the biggest positive.

"If you can't take 20 wickets, you can never win a Test. Irrespective of whether you are playing at home or outside. We are taking 20 wickets, which means you are always in a position to win the match. Once you start scoring runs, you are there [with a chance of winning]," Dhoni said at an event.

The message is clear from one of India's greatest captains that Kohli and his men ought to improve their batting come the third Test starting in Johannesburg from January 24.

It won't be easy though as all reports coming out of the New Wanderers Stadium suggest the pitch is likely to continue harrowing the batsmen, just like Cape Town and Centurion.

The South Africans are also sensing a whitewash as fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has let it be known that nothing less than a clean sweep is going to satisfy the hosts.

It will be interesting to see how the visitors cope with this ever-increasing pressure.