Test series between South Africa and India has just finished and South Africa won the series with 2-1. India was the favorite to win the series before the start but cricket has its own methodology and can prove anyone wrong at any time. South Africa can be proud of their team the way they played in this series was just remarkable and it shows that there is no shortage of talent in the country. Their young players were so impressive and they showed some great mental toughness also after going down in the series by 1-0.
Let's talk in detail about this series.
Domination of India in 1st test
India came here to South Africa with huge expectations and their people were right also because they have played some splendid test cricket in the last 3 years or so. They started also in the right way when their openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were on a roll. They became the 1st pair to get the partnership over 100 and India was on the road to building a huge total. KL Rahul scored a great hundred but after that things were changed in hurry South African bowlers never allowed them to go too far away and made them come back every time.
Indian bowlers were also in great form and bundled them out with a lead was over 100 runs. After that India scored 174 but with the help of 1st innings lead the target was 315 which was enough.
Dean Elger was the lone warrior but he couldn't save his side from the defeat and India ended their losing streak in Centurion and won the test by 113 runs. Quinton De Kock retired from test cricket after that match and South Africa suffered a huge loss but that was just a matter of time. Things changed dramatically after that match.
Turn Around by South Africa
After the loss of 1st match, South Africa regroup nicely and gave the chance to Duanne Oliver which made a comeback after finishing his Kolpak deal. He justified his selection by picking up 3 wickets in 1st innings and India was all out on just 202 which was below par. Virat Kohli missed that match due to injury and Rahul led the team for the 1st time in a test match. Keegan Petersen scored his 1st fifty of the series and stamped his authority. The home side was really flying high meanwhile Shardul Thakur made things tough for them and got India back in the match with his 7 wickets.
South Africa got the vital lead of 27 runs. India set the target of 240 for the home side and it was looking a good total for the 4th innings.
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The resilience of Dean Elger
240 in the 4th innings you always back the bowling side but Dean Elger was having other thoughts. He fought till the very last run and he was rock solid in the defense and took all the body blows but didn't perish and lost the focus. Dean Elger scored 96 not out and Finished the match with Temba Bavuma with 7 wickets to spare. He built some nice partnerships with Markram, Rassie Van der Dussan, Keegan Petersen, and then the final one with Bavuma. Dean Elger played one of the best innings of his career and helped his side to get over the line. Series was the level at 1-1 after the 2nd test.
Series Decider and Come back of Virat
Virat Kohli made a comeback in the series decider. India won the toss but couldn't put the huge total on the board. They were collapsed but Virat Kohli stood tall and played one of the finest innings of his career yes he couldn't get 100 but that was the innings of the highest class and elegance. He left over 50% balls outside off stump for the 1st time in his career and carried his side single-handedly. But he was losing his partners in regulation and finally, Rabada got him once again outside off stump delivery. The battle between Rabada and Virat was a true box office. India put 223 on the board with the help of Virat's classy 79.
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| Virat Kohli |
Rabada and Marco Jansen once again were in the wickets and India couldn't post a threatening total.
Class of Keegan Petersen
Indian bowlers joined the party soon and Bumrah got Elger early but the next day it was all about the class of Keegan Petersen.
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| Keegan Petersen |
He was just great to watch against a ruthless Indian bowling attack. He scored a valuable 72 and for India Jasprit Bumrah was the star with the ball in hand at the same ground where he made his debut. He got a fifer in the 1st innings to get India back in the match.
Rishabh Pant's reply with the bat
India got the lead of 13 runs and once got the opportunity to set a huge target but South African pacers didn't allow them to go too far. Actually, they were on the verge of collapse and found themselves in a hole at 58/4. After that Rishabh Pant came to the crease and started to play in his own fashion Virat Kohli was on the other end and was playing patient innings. For the 1st time after Trent Bridge's test of 2018, he faced over 100 balls in each innings of a test match but once again he got out in his fashion by nicking the ball to the slips.
Rishabh Pant continued in his fashion and scored his 1st hundred against South Africa in South Africa. He was the 1st Indian wicketkeeper to score 100 in South Africa. At the age of 24, he showed to the world what he can do on his day and this was another fine innings in his short career so far. I think he enjoys the company of tail-enders because he can play his own game with them and can score quickly also. He showed that he is a true match-winner on his day and can challenge the best in the business. With the help of Pant's 100 India managed to score 198 and set the target of 212.
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| Rishabh Pant |
South Africa's sublime chase
Once again Indian batters flopped badly in the test series and all the pressure was on the bowlers to bail them out. But South African batters were right in their approach didn't panic. They started things nicely and once again the young man Keegan Petersen put his hands up and played another top innings to get over the line and to win the series. He scored a magnificent 82 from just 113 balls with a strike rate of 72. He killed the game single-handedly and after that Van der Dussan and Bavuma made sure that there won't be further loss and clinched the series by 2-1 against the strong Indian side.
This is some achievement by this young South African side after the retirement of their great players now their young talent showed the world his capability and mental toughness in the most difficult format of the game. There were some heating moments but things finished nicely but that series left India in some shock and there could be some changes in the near future.
The Poor Form of Pujara and Rahane
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkiya Rahane were the experienced batters but they couldn't live up to the expectations and their poor run with the bat continues. I think in test cricket no.3,4, and 5 are crucial positions, and batsmen on these positions have a huge responsibility to score big and if they fail then the whole team can go under immense pressure. India was having all-out-of-form batsmen at these positions like Pujara, Virat, and Rahane and that cost them big time.They both were lucky to play this series and it cost India a big-time because they left out inform batter Shreyas Iyer who made a scintillating debut against New Zealand in the recent past. They left Vihari also and back them to do something with the bat but they never arrived and due to their poor form Indian batting collapsed the number of times in this series also. In 6 innings they crossed the 300 mark just once and that should sum up the story. So they are living on the edge of the knife and it will be hard for them to find a place in the next series.
Every good thing has to be finished
Yes, India lost the series but they also have lost their captain and this is shocking news because he has been brilliant in captaincy despite his batting form. But time is really cruel and one day you are a hero next day you can be a villain same thing is going on for Virat Kohli. He resigned from captaincy just after a day from the test series and it shows that things are not going good in the Indian camp and for Virat Kohli.I think it all started with his resignation from the T20 captaincy and after Ravi Shastri, he has lost huge support. Ravi Shastri wasn't only a coach he was a fan of Virat Kohli and they were having great understanding but things have changed after the selection of Rahul Dravid. This is a huge loss not only for Indian cricket but for world cricket also because he is just a superstar of the game and he changed test cricket completely. So test cricket is gonna miss him badly but things need to be pretty clear they need to sit together and discuss the topic otherwise there could be sudden retirement of Virat Kohli from cricket and it will be a huge loss for global cricket.
So the test series has finished but action will continue because the ODI series between these 2 sides will start from 19th January in Paarl so cricket will continue.
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