Chennai South African player Delmi Tucker on Friday heartily praised the Indian batsmen for putting up a stunning effort on the opening day of the one-off Test but hoped her team could turn the tide from Day 2.
Batting first, India posted a mammoth 525 for four with record-breaking Shafali Verma (205) and her opening partner Smriti Mandhana (149) doing maximum damage.
Tucker was SA's most successful bowler, taking two wickets but giving away 141 runs.
"We'll look back and refresh on today, sit down and have discussions about tomorrow. Nothing will take away from their (Indian) batsmen today; they were phenomenal," Tucker told reporters during the post-day press conference.
Although the Proteas managed to keep Shafali quiet during the previous ODI series as he only managed 52 runs in three outings, Tucker felt that the Test format gave the Indian enough time to calm down and find the range from him.
"It's a different format and obviously she (Shafali) has more time (to calm down). She gave it her all and made the most of the opportunity as she is a great hitter," Tucker said.
"Yes, we were a little out of our lines (with the ball) and we wish we could have been better. But there is nothing to take away from her, since she did (batting) very well."
The pitch was predicted to be conducive to spin but that was not the case on Friday, while fielding errors and tackles added to the Proteas' woes.
Tucker admitted that the visitors were not able to execute her strategies well that day and that the city's warm weather also played a role.
"We tried a few things when Smriti and Verma were batting. We changed around the wicket and changed the pitch. We were happy with that for a while, but it was taken away from us," she admitted.
"We definitely could have been better on the field. Yes, it's hot out there. Also, tackles and field errors are not the best. But staying positive and alert could help avoid those field errors."
However, Tucker focused on the fact that the field had started to offer some turn and they should get some buying on Day 2.
"We knew this ground was going to be good for spin and there was early movement forward. There was more spin after lunch and we need to take advantage of it more tomorrow," he said.
The South African women do not have a proper red ball setup at home as they do not have multi-day competitions. Tucker said this has made their homework more difficult despite doing their homework.
"We (SA Women) are still young (in) Test cricket so we're still getting used to it. "It's tough unlike T20s and ODIs but we're still learning.
"I don't think we did that bad. We did our homework and we knew what was coming," she concluded.
Batting first, India posted a mammoth 525 for four with record-breaking Shafali Verma (205) and her opening partner Smriti Mandhana (149) doing maximum damage.
Tucker was SA's most successful bowler, taking two wickets but giving away 141 runs.
"We'll look back and refresh on today, sit down and have discussions about tomorrow. Nothing will take away from their (Indian) batsmen today; they were phenomenal," Tucker told reporters during the post-day press conference.
Although the Proteas managed to keep Shafali quiet during the previous ODI series as he only managed 52 runs in three outings, Tucker felt that the Test format gave the Indian enough time to calm down and find the range from him.
"It's a different format and obviously she (Shafali) has more time (to calm down). She gave it her all and made the most of the opportunity as she is a great hitter," Tucker said.
"Yes, we were a little out of our lines (with the ball) and we wish we could have been better. But there is nothing to take away from her, since she did (batting) very well."
The pitch was predicted to be conducive to spin but that was not the case on Friday, while fielding errors and tackles added to the Proteas' woes.
Tucker admitted that the visitors were not able to execute her strategies well that day and that the city's warm weather also played a role.
"We tried a few things when Smriti and Verma were batting. We changed around the wicket and changed the pitch. We were happy with that for a while, but it was taken away from us," she admitted.
"We definitely could have been better on the field. Yes, it's hot out there. Also, tackles and field errors are not the best. But staying positive and alert could help avoid those field errors."
However, Tucker focused on the fact that the field had started to offer some turn and they should get some buying on Day 2.
"We knew this ground was going to be good for spin and there was early movement forward. There was more spin after lunch and we need to take advantage of it more tomorrow," he said.
The South African women do not have a proper red ball setup at home as they do not have multi-day competitions. Tucker said this has made their homework more difficult despite doing their homework.
"We (SA Women) are still young (in) Test cricket so we're still getting used to it. "It's tough unlike T20s and ODIs but we're still learning.
"I don't think we did that bad. We did our homework and we knew what was coming," she concluded.
