South Africa head coach Mark Boucher on Friday registered a 2-1 series win from behind, notable as one of the best in its history of Test cricket, against world No 1 India.
After going 0–1 after losing the Boxing Day Opening Test at Centurion, the Dean Elgar-led side showed tremendous resilience to win consecutive matches at Wanderers and Newlands and upset the firm’s favourites.
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“To put this in perspective, we have lost three tosses. A lot of people, including some media, wrote us off after the first day of the first Test of the series,” Boucher said in a post-match media interaction.
“So, coming back after losing the first Test badly and then winning the second Test and now winning the third Test is very unbelievable.
“It will rank there – should be in the top five. Where have we come from, the on-field and off-field stuff… it’s good to get some good results.
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“The way the entire Test series was played, it was hard fought, some good cricket, it has to be with some of the best Test series ever played in South Africa.”
‘I will take a lot of confidence from this win’
Going into the series, the hosts lacked experience as they played their first Test in six months at Centurion. He played just six Tests under new captain Elgar as Australia opted not to travel for the four-match series last March.
Elgar began his journey with a 2–0 win over West Indies before losing to India in the Boxing Day Test.
“It’s definitely something we can take a lot of confidence from. This team is really on a mission. We’ve been through some tough times of late and they drive in a way that’s very special.
“I am incredibly proud of where they come from in a short amount of time and the results are starting to come in now which is fantastic.
“Our feet are firmly on the ground. We know we are not the finished product. We have goals in front of us. So we will enjoy this win,” Boucher said.
In the fourth day’s play, South Africa started at 101 for two and completed the task with seven wickets.
“These guys deserve it. They’ve gone through a lot together as a unit. So it’s good to see.”
“It’s a close group of people. The World Cup was a big disappointment, although we played some good cricket the whole time.
“It’s something that was really necessary to work hard in our dressing room.”
‘Not surprised by the character shown’
In both Tests, the inexperienced side, led by Elgar, were set tricky targets of over 200 in bouncy conditions.
Elgar led the way in Johannesburg, helping the team chase 240 runs in a seven-wicket win.
Here, Keegan Pietersen top-scored with 82 runs – his third consecutive Test half-century – as the hosts chased down a target of 212.
“It doesn’t surprise me because you’ve also got Dean, who’s the kind of character who moves from the front.
“You have Temba (Bavuma) as vice-captain, who is the same fighter with the same spirit, so you have two leaders that people are going to follow.
“People also stood up with respect to their game.”
Boucher said, “To put these things into perspective where is this team and where is the Indian team… they are probably the best team in World Test cricket at the moment.
“They’ve been to England, beat England, beat Australia in Australia. So that’s something our boys won’t take lightly.”
no words
For South Africa, Pietersen and 21-year-old left-arm pacer Marco Jensen were the find of the series.
Praising both, Boucher said, “You get two young players who have just come into the team. They both deserve their little spotlight.”
Pietersen, who was playing only the second series after a disappointing start against West Indies in June, impressed with his persistence and composure at No.
The 28-year-old scored three fifties in four innings and was adjudged man of the series each time, improving his score. He was also the man of the match in his series-winning win here.
“Kegan probably didn’t start as well in the West Indies as he wanted. Then he didn’t start well at SuperSport Park.
“But he’s always shown the signs of the player we’re seeing now. He just held onto his guns. He’s in a good position to have a guy like Dean next to him. He (Dean) really supports him.
“He is a tough nut and bats at No. 3 in Test cricket, you have to be tough, you know your game, technically you have to be good too. Hopefully he just keeps getting better, better and better.
“It is a very difficult situation to play in South Africa in our conditions, batting at No. I am short of words for the way he has come through the series. In a big series, against big players and to get man of the series, he totally deserved it,” Boucher said of Pietersen.
Jansen. I found a superstar
Uncapped left-arm seamer Jensen was a revelation and grew from strength to strength after an impressive start in the Boxing Day Test.
“When you lose someone like Andre Nortje (hip injury), it was a big loss for us, but then you can bring Marco into the team. We are in a really good place right now.”
“Many people had questioned his selection in the first Test. He didn’t start very well and the media got a little jumpy on him, which I thought was pretty unfair,” he said of Jensen.
“But we saw what he had in Pakistan. He was with us in the West Indies, and it was only a matter of time before he arrived because we can see the skill and variety he has.”
At an impressive average of 16.47, Jansen took 19 wickets leaving behind his top wicket-taker Kagiso Rabada (20).
“Now that we look at him and probably everyone is looking the same, what have we got, one more than our bowling attack. He has a lot of cricket to learn. We also find a superstar in them. He’s only going to get better,” he said.
‘We’ve turned a long time ago’
The head coach further said that he has turned the corner after some forgettable performances in the recent past, including a group-stage exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
“I believe we have turned the corner a long time ago. Our results over the past six months to a year have been pretty solid.
“We had a chance to try some players. I think it’s starting to get good now as we start getting the depth of cricketers that we can turn to,” he signed off.
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