India won the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town to draw the series and salvage pride after a humiliating defeat in the first rubber.
India won the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town to draw the series and salvage pride after a humiliating defeat in the first rubber. It was an action-packed Test series, with plenty of action on offer in every session. There were great knocks, terrific bowling spells and sensational fielding shows.
Both teams have had their moments but failed to keep it going, as displayed in the final scoreline. The two teams had a few positives. This series also revealed the loopholes in both sides and the areas to work on.
In this segment, we look at five takeaways from the Test series.
As much as Rohit Sharma enjoys playing the short balls, it has also been his biggest weakness in Test Cricket. Numerous times, Rohit fell while playing a pull shot in the whites. Kagiso Rabada realised it in the series’ first hour and plotted a similar plan.
Live by the pull, die by the pull – Rohit Sharma has gotten out 11 times playing his signature shot, out of 47 dismissals against fast bowlers in Tests #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/zknH3L08T3
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 26, 2023
He kept a fine leg and bowled a shorter-length delivery into Rohit Sharma’s body, and the batter failed to keep it down. The ball flew straight to the fielder at fine leg, leading to another dismissal off a short ball in Test cricket. Rohit is a compulsive puller of the ball, but he has to bin it in red-ball cricket, or the teams won’t have trouble dismissing him early.
Shubman Gill is arguably the most talented young batter in world cricket, but he has found it tough to get going in Test cricket away from home. He endured another series with a string of low scores. Gill could only make 74 runs at a meagre average of 18.50, with his best score being 36. It’s fair to say he is yet to crack Test cricket despite having all the talent in the world.
Also Read: 3 tactical blunders by Rohit Sharma in the South Africa series
Gill wanted to bat in the middle order, and he has to step up now. India have looked past Cheteshwar Pujara, but Gill averages a mere 23.71 in eight innings at No.3. Gill ended another series gaining nothing when the team wanted him to step up numerous times. While the team won’t drop him, their patience level might be coming down with each failure.
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are the best bets available for India in Test cricket. However, the pace department looks thin whenever one of these three is unavailable, and it was visible again in South Africa. Shardul Thakur has never provided control, and Prasidh Krishna has had a tour to forget.
Despite playing in ideal conditions, Krishna lacked control and consistency, and Rohit had lost confidence in him only after one game. Mukesh Kumar did a decent job, but he still has a long way to go. Even if Mukesh does well, the team would want a couple of more quality pacers because Bumrah and Shami are injury-prone and can’t play all the games.
India’s less experienced pair of Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna proved ineffective in the Centurion Test https://t.co/i8fWVV2Ecw #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/bd8LVHEmpA
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 29, 2023
This series highlighted the lack of quality pacers who can provide control while coming as a first or second change in the spell. The signs are concerning, and India need to find a solution quickly because the series down under will require pacers with more control. They can not rely on a couple of bowlers in the long run.
Aiden Markram is another talented batter who is yet to crack Test cricket. However, his knock against India in the second innings of the second Test was a positive indication. South Africa genuinely need a reliable opener now that Dean Elgar has retired.
Markram has to become more consistent to ease the way for his partner at the top. He has the technique to become a better opener than Elgar. The knock in Elgar’s farewell game was encouraging, but Markram needs to ensure he doesn’t lose the plot, as he often has in the past.
Among the best pacers in the country, Nandre Burger made his much-awaited Test debut against India in the Boxing Day Test. He snared seven wickets in his debut game before taking four more in the next one. With 11 wickets at 14 runs apiece, Burger made a perfect start to his Test career.
The isiXhosa commentary team were so hyped for Nandre Burger’s wickets 🔥😤#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/JxfvWVVi2d
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) December 29, 2023
His energy and ability to learn quickly were the highlight of the series. Burger adjusted his lengths quickly and hardly erred once getting his area to target. He looks like an all-condition bowler who can be equally effective away from home, for his talent and skillsets are top-class.
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