There were barely any nods of agreement when Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to field first in Bengaluru. But his bowlers vindicated his decision by skittling South Africa out for 214 on the first day. It were once again the spinners, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who did the damage, picking up four wickets apiece. Explaining his captain’s decision as a “Very rational” one, Ashwin said, “I think the wicket was a little damp initially, so we wanted to bowl first and see what we can extract out of it. Even the first-class games we play here, generally it does a bit on the first day. So, taking everything into consideration, it was a very rational decision.” The Bengaluru pitch on the first day was nothing like the turner in Mohali. Even then the Proteas batsmen struggled to negotiate India’s spin duo. Ashwin credited his spin partner for maintaining the stranglehold on the opposition after the early breakthroughs. “I don’t think there was a lot on offer for the spinners. We were not beating the bat as often as we did in Mohali,” Ashwin said. “But Jadeja was very good in the session after lunch. He was bottling one end up, which was precisely our plan. From there on, there were a few rash shots played, which brought us back into the game. “Jadeja is bowling very well. He knows his strengths and weaknesses well. He comes in very handy in the afternoon session because he is very accurate and you know this is what you are going to get from him, which is very important in Test cricket.” Ashwin also acknowledged the invaluable contribution of Ajinkya Rahane in the slip cordon. He has been a revelation in that position, lapping up catches and creating some out of thin air. Ashwin admitted that having a fielder like Rahane in the slips gives him that extra bit of confidence as a bowler. “Ajinkya in the slips has been amazing. He seems to be pulling off all the catches that are coming his way and it is very important. We are not even thinking of putting someone else there. We want Ajinkya in the slips, and that is the kind of confidence a bowler wants at the top of his mark. “The catch that he took today to get Duminy, was a very good catch which he made it look easy. In the past there have been times when such catches have gone down. So, as a bowler, I pretty much know how important as a fielder he is right now,” said India’s ace off-spinner. As the Proteas succumbed to the Indian spinners again, there was only one man who held fort for them. AB de Villiers, playing his 100th Test match, forged a lone battle with his knock of 85 runs off 105 balls. While admiring AB’s strokeplay, Ashwin said that wickets falling at the other end meant the fear of AB never crossed the Indian team’s mind. “AB batted really well, although he did look edgy at times,” Ashwin said. “He played some lovely shots, he knows this ground and his angles well. There were certain areas he was looking to play in and it was evident. But we kept taking wickets regularly and so that thought never entered our minds that one man can take this away from us.” India are comfortably placed in the Test match with both openers M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan unbeaten overnight with the score on 80. Ashwin urged the batsmen to occupy the crease for long enough periods to bat the Proteas out of the match. “As the sun comes out and the wicket dries out, it will get difficult for the spinners. This is a high-scoring ground where stopping the runs is very difficult. So, on days 2 and 3 we will have to bat long and ensure that we put a lot of pressure on them when they come to bat second.”