South Africa's brief honeymoon in Indian Test conditions is over. Some would say they were lucky to get one at all but they would be wrong. South Africa performed much better than many a traveler, including India in South African conditions, to take the opening day's honours. But even as they celebrated their spin success, they would have known "the worst," as Faf du Plessis calls it and we shall now to refer to it, was on it on its way.
To use such a term suggests that South Africa thought these conditions could be the ones that finally stop them even as they resolved to continue to be unstoppable away from home. It's too early to say whether that has happened but it's not too early to see that "the worst" is demanding the best from South Africa.
South Africa's strength on the road over the last nine years has been their enterprise. They have been able to find a way when all roads seemed closed, whether that detour involved bypassing opponents, conditions or even themselves.
In England in 2012, they shook off first day lethargy, and batted England out of the opening Test. In Australia later that year, they were taken in by all the talk of a spicy Gabba pitch only to be thrown by it but showed the mental strength to draw in Adelaide and drain Australia. Graeme Smith then defied technical limitations in the UAE in 2013 to score a double-hundred. In Galle last year, Dale Steyn owned the pitch that was supposed to swallow him.
In Mohali now, they are trying all those things and more by playing up to the hype ("The worst" is a classic example), selecting a team to meet the conditions by leaving out a seventh specialist batsmen in favour of a spinner, and showing all the determination and drive they can muster. But still, they hit a speed bump that has grown into something far more sizable.
South Africa's challenge was clear when the third ball from Amit Mishra to Deal Elgar kept low. Mishra caused many more serious problems for Elgar - finding his edge, trapping him in the crease and on the pads - but ultimately it was neither the lack of bounce nor the bowler that got Elgar out. It was his own shot selection. After two-and-a-half-hours of befuddlement, perhaps anyone would have wanted some release. Elgar's mistake was not particularly badly timed, with AB de Villiers still to come, and Amla finding some form, but it was the first of a few gaffes South Africa would have wanted to avoid.
Amla and Vilas also made questionable moves; Amla's resulted in this third stumping on the tour which will surely lead to some fine tuning of his footwork. The only way they found was a way out, not the kind of way South Africa needed but a symptom of the difficulties of finding ways to stay in.
Even de Villiers was tentative at first. He poked at a Ravindra Jadeja delivery that turned from outside off and could have taken the outside edge, and then poked at another which took the edge. He only survived on the second occasion because Jadeja had overstepped.
Of the first 30 balls de Villiers faced, he was beaten, hit on the pads, and was left edging a few. As his innings went on, de Villiers was able to get into line and then sweep. He showed faith in the tail to accelerate the scoring rate, even against spinners, to ensure South Africa were not too far behind.
Then, they had to find another way. South Africa's bowling was always going to be the more scrtunised aspect of their game because it would be compared to the Indian performance, which would be dominated by spinners. It's hardly a secret that India's spin trio is far superior to South Africa's, not least because all three are specialists.
Imran Tahir, Simon Harmer and Dean Elgar are not R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra, and cannot be expected to have the same level of consistency innings after innings, particularly not Elgar. Tahir has not played Test cricket in 11 months and when he did, he developed a reputation for being a loose cannon. Harmer is still new to international cricket. Between them, they were expected to produce something close to what they did in the first innings, if not close to what India's spinners did. To add to South Africa's woes, Dale Steyn was not able to bowl because of a groin strain and their task became even tougher.
"I've never seen an Indian spinner not be successful at home, and I've seen a lot of spinners come here and find it difficult - not only in terms of the pace the bowl at or the tactics, but also the pressure," Claude Henderson, South Africa's spin bowling consultant said. "It's big pressure on a spinner when he sees somebody else taking wickets and turning the ball. Now you feel 'I've got to go and do it'. And that creates pressure."
For now, they have not done it. Not in this innings, because India are playing them with a little more caution and a lot more authority. Which was also expected. The India batsmen are as used to these conditions, as are their bowlers. They are supposed to know how to negotiate over after over after over when the ball barely is bouncing above their ankles, and turning while it's at it, just like South Africa's batsmen are supposed to know how to negotiate over after over after over when the ball is being aimed at the head. That's what home advantage is all about.
For years, South Africa have been able to find a way to negate that. Either their batsmen have powered through the tough periods or the bowlers, usually Steyn, have summoned spirit from a surface which seemed dead. It was not luck that kept South Africa a step ahead of their hosts. It was adaptability and skill, which South Africa have displayed here. The difference is that India have the latter in equal measure, when all things are considered.
What India lack in batting experience, they make up for in spin terms and since spin is expected to decide this series, the only way for South Africa to succeed, is to find a way over the speed bump as they have done for the last nine years.