SPORTS

South Africa vs India Test Series Report Card

Shivaan Shah
16 January,2022
6 minutes

India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the dismissal on the 2nd day of the third Test cricket match between South Africa and India, at Newlands stadium in Cape Town

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The Indian cricket team fell perilously short of creating history in the Rainbow Nation as Virat Kohli’s side lost the three-match series against South Africa 2-1 after a monumental comeback from the Proteas in the final two Tests. India won the first Test match in Centurion convincingly by 113 runs, but the Men in Blue let the ball slip from that point onwards as South Africa completed two 200+ run chases in Johannesburg and Cape Town to beat the world’s number one ranked side.

Virat Kohli’s side arrived in South Africa with the intention of becoming the first Indian cricket team to win a Test series in the Rainbow Nation, but once again it was the batters who let the side down, scoring just one 250+ total in the final two Tests.

Here is our report card for the Indian Cricket Team for this series, looking at how each player has performed across the three matches.

▶ KL Rahul – 7/10

Rahul began the tour with a magnificent 100 in the first South Africa India Test match at Centurion, playing with immense discipline and grit to set the foundation for India’s victory. However, while Rahul ended up as the highest run-scorer from the Indian cricket team in this series, the vice-captain largely struggled in the final two Tests, albeit in incredibly challenging conditions against a potent seam attack.

▶ Mayank Agarwal – 5/10

Replacing Rohit Sharma in the India Test match side, Mayank Agarwal had a series to forget against South Africa as the opener added just 135 runs at an average of 22.5 across the three matches. Agarwal started the series positively with a half-century at Centurion but added just 75 runs in the five innings post that knock, failing to convert his starts and struggling with the outside off-stump line from Kagiso Rabada.

▶ Cheteshwar Pujara – 4/10

Although Cheteshwar Pujara showed some more attacking intent towards the back half of this series, the number three’s trusted defensive technique has come under scrutiny due to his struggles against deliveries coming back to him. Pujara managed just 124 runs in three India matches this series and is now averaging only 26.3 against the red-ball since 2020.

▶ Virat Kohli – 7/10

While Virat Kohli’s century drought with the Indian cricket team continued in this series, the 33-year-old remained the most assured Indian batter at the crease against the South African attack. After getting out to two loose shots in Centurion, Kohli shored up his technique and temperament in Cape Town, scoring a masterful 79 in the first-innings to take India past 200 before batting a further 143 balls in the second innings.

▶ Ajinkya Rahane – 4/10

Ajinkya Rahane’s Test match woes with the Indian cricket team continued in this series as the Mumbai batsman managed just 136 runs at an average of 22 across the three India matches. The right-hander was unable to cope with the bounce extracted by the South African seamers, and with Vihari, Iyer and Gill waiting in the wings, Rahane’s days with the Indian cricket team may be numbered.

▶ Rishabh Pant – 7/10

The enigmatic Rishabh Pant received plenty of criticism for his careless dismissal in the second India Test at Johannesburg, but the maverick left-hander reminded the world exactly why he has the license to play that way after scoring a scintillating century in Cape Town. The Mercurial left-hander creamed six fours and four sixes to become the first Asian wicket-keeper to make a Test century in South Africa, scoring 100 of India’s 198 runs in the innings.

With the gloves, Pant continued to impress, pocketing 13 catches across the three India Test matches and making very few errors despite the challenging conditions.

▶ Ravichandran Ashwin – 5/10

Considering the nature of the pitches, Ashwin was rarely utilised throughout the series with the ball, bowling just 64 overs throughout the three matches and playing more of a holding role.

With the bat, however, Ashwin disappointed, averaging just 14 across six innings and struggling to provide the Indian cricket team with the reliability expected from a number seven. Although Ashwin did score a crucial 46 in the first innings at the Wanderers, the all-rounder didn’t showcase enough defensive solidity throughout the series and was often dismissed playing loose drives away from the body.

▶ Shardul Thakur – 7/10

Shardul Thakur registered the best figures by an Indian in a Test match in South Africa in Johannesburg (7 for 61) and finished the series with an incredibly impressive return of 12 wickets at an average of just 19. With the bat, Shardul played plenty of jaw-dropping shots from number eight, but the all-rounder lacked the composure and application needed to make big scores, managing just 59 runs in six innings.

▶ Mohammad Shami – 8/10

Mohammad Shami was India’s most successful bowler in this series, picking up 14 wickets at an average of 21 and asking plenty of questions of the South African batters with his impeccable seam and length. Shami’s 5 for 44 in the first Test at Centurion was a match-winning contribution, and the 31-year-old also reached the 200-wicket milestone in this series, becoming the fifth Indian pacer to do so.

▶ Jasprit Bumrah – 7/10

Four years on from his debut in South Africa, Jasprit Bumrah continued his stellar rise in Test cricket, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 23 and bowling game-changing spells at Centurion and Cape Town. Although Bumrah was at his feisty, aggressive best throughout the series, the pacer was unable to penetrate the Proteas batting lineup in the fourth-innings run-chases due to a mixture of bad luck and excellent batting from South Africa.

[Featured Image Credit: ANI]