It has been a year for Indian cricket, starting with two amazing victories to clinch a memorable series win over Australia and ending this week with a hard-fought victory over South Africa. Between these two events was a roller-coaster ride full of ups and downs, ups and downs.
India vs South Africa: full coverage , photos , the schedule , result
Looking at the balance sheet, India have performed brilliantly in Tests, beating Australia, England (at home), leading 2-1 against the same opponent in an unfinished series, and the first Test against South Africa before sunset in 2021. Won. The big disappointment was losing the WTC final to New Zealand, which apparently still rankles.
However, Centurion’s win marks an important milestone in Indian cricket. Considered to be a stronghold of South Africa, this ground usually has to struggle for foreign teams. As India did in Brisbane at the start of the year, Australian cricket’s fortress with a remarkable display of resolve, ambition and little to no flair, Virat Kohli & Co this time trounced the Proteas in style.
True, South Africa is not at its strongest at the moment. The batting notably lacks the class and experience of AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, all of whom played in the 2018 series alongside star bowlers Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.
Read also: From Gabba to Centurion – A Historic Year for Indian Cricket
Still, there was a psychological hurdle to overcome for the Indian team. South Africa’s bowling, which was led by Kagiso Rabada and with Lungi Ngidi among other members mixed in the supporting cast, is not up to snuff. Also, the Indian team was missing some stellar names like Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.
Also, while powerful names like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were in the bat, they were going through extended and worryingly lean periods that left the team vulnerable. This leveled things up quite a bit, considering South Africa’s excellent track record in Centurion.
The scorecard does not reflect the admirable fight put up by South Africa, and how hard India went to win the Test. Such were the mantras of the game when it looked like the home team had snatched the advantage and would take on their more arch rivals. But every time such a threat looms, India finds someone who turns things around.
Read also | KL Rahul sets blueprint for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to deliver knockout punch
India’s successes overseas in the last 5-6 years have been built around the efforts of the bowlers – largely fast bowlers – who have picked up around 20 wickets to put the team in a position where victory is possible. Many such advantageous positions were forfeited due to not being up to the batting line-up.
In this year, there was a lot of improvement in this aspect. India’s only win in Australia last season would not have been possible without Pant, Vihari, Sundar, Ashwin, Thakur to complement the bowlers’ efforts. Similarly, while Bumrah, Shami and Siraj Centurion were brilliant in Tests, India would not have won without the contributions of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
His maiden wicket partnership of 117 runs in the first innings laid the foundation for India’s 300-plus score. Considering the fall of the second day, when 7 wickets fell for just 52 runs, it proved to be the decisive phase of the game in the outcome of the match, despite the brilliance of Shami, Bumrah and others.
On a spicy Centurion pitch with inconsistent bounce, the fast bowlers were expected to do as well as they did from both the teams: Shami and Bumrah for India, Rabada and Ngidi for South Africa. What led India to victory was the batting in which the Rahul-Agarwal partnership played a major role.
It’s been a fascinating year for both. Rahul was almost certified as the only white ball specialist, having lost his Test spot. He managed to join the squad in England with some luck, but as a middle-order substitute. Shubman Gill’s injury created an unexpected opportunity to become Rohit’s partner and he has not looked back since then.
A century in England repeated the class he had shown on the Test scene for the first time. The century at Centurion, even more impressive, sealed his position as an opener. Great technique, patience, the ability to choose the right balls to hit and a wide list of strokes make Rahul one of the best players in the world today.
Agarwal too lost his spot in the Indian Test team and with some luck got it back when both Rohit and Rahul were rested for the two-Test home series against New Zealand. Long scores in both the matches ensured that he would not only be in the squad for South Africa, but would also overtake Gill as Rahul’s teammate.
With a decent first innings score to defend, India’s fast bowlers executed their job with vigor and skill. Shami excelled in the match taking 8 wickets, which took him behind 200 victims in the shortest delivery by an Indian bowler.
The ability to move the ball any way, given with an impeccable seam position, the South African batsmen struggled against Shami. Bumrah was not far behind either, in fact he delivered some blistering strikes when the home team looked to be on top. Siraj, Thakur and Ashwin gave excellent support.
In Australia, India were without Kohli, Bumrah and Shami for the most part, in Centurion, there was no Rohit or Jadeja. Wins without star players highlight the strong bench strength in Indian cricket, and in turn the intense competition for places that leads to individual and collective excellence.
For Kohli, this Centurion win was terrifying, as it happened on the heels of the captaincy split between his (red ball) and Rohit Sharma (white ball) leadership, which had created ruckus and controversy earlier this series . The skeptics had begun to argue that even Kohli’s captaincy in Tests should have been on notice, would have calmed down.
However, he has his batting form to worry about. Kohli started in both the innings, then succumbed to put the team in trouble. His regular way of getting out over the years, caught behind or chasing wide deliveries in the slips, has now become a saga of déj vu.
With Pujara and Rahane (despite 48 runs in the first innings) still short of runs, India cannot secure a series win for the first time in South Africa. If India wants to make history, then the captain has to show the way with his bat.
get all IPL news and cricket score Here
,