South Africa settles for a 1-1 stalemate against India in Tests: Player Ratings for the Hosts
Considering Test Cricket is not a format they are prioritizing at the moment, South Africa will be fairly happy with how they performed in the two-match series against India. While the Proteas could not get a whitewash, they managed to do enough to ensure India did not get their first away Test series win against them.
Let us check out the player ratings of the South African side:
Top Order
Aiden Markram (8/10): Aiden Markram did not have the greatest of starts in this series, but by the end of it, he finished as South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer. The all-format specialist scored 113 runs with an average of nearly 40.
In South Africa’s lone innings in the first Test, Markram could only score 5 runs. Then in Cape Town, he was dismissed for 2 runs in the first innings but later proved his worth with a sensational hundred in the second innings. On a challenging track where the entire team scored 176, 106 of those runs were scored by Markram alone.
Dean Elgar (9/10): In what was his last Test series, Dean Elgar proved his class once again by finishing as the highest run-scorer of not only South Africa but the two teams combined. In the two Tests, he scored 201 runs at an average of 67.
Dean Elgar scored a century in his last series
He was the thorn in India’s flesh in the Centurion Test, scoring 185 runs, which also was the 14th Test century of his career. In Cape Town, however, Elgar was not as effective, scoring 4 and 12 runs in the two innings respectively.
Temba Bavuma (NA/10): It would be very unfair to give any number to Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain, for he did not get a chance to face a single delivery. In the first Test in Centurion, he sustained a hamstring injury while fielding and was not seen on the field ever since.
Tony de Zorzi (3/10): Although Tony de Zorzi has done enough to justify his selection in the ODI team, having recently struck a century against India, he will only have himself to blame if the selectors opt to drop him from the Test squad. In the two Tests, the left-handed batter scored only 31 runs with an average of just over 10.
He got a start in Centurion, but could not capitalize on it by throwing his wicket away when he was batting on 28 runs. The Test in Cape Town was too challenging for him, as de Zorzi scored only 3 runs in two innings.
Middle Order
David Bedingham (6/10): Playing his first international series at the age of 29, former Kolpak player David Bedingham emerged as a reliable figure on what is otherwise a pretty fragile and inexperienced batting lineup of South Africa. He scored 79 runs in the two Tests, which came at an average of over 25.
In only his first Test innings, Bedingham scored a half-century in Centurion. He did struggle in Cape Town, getting scores of 12 and 11 in the two innings respectively, but he will have another chance of cementing his place in the New Zealand series, being the only player to have picked Test cricket ahead of SA20.
Keegan Petersen (2/10): Now 30 years of age, Keegan Petersen’s time in the South African Test team might be coming to an end, after his poor performance in this series. Given a chance in the Centurion Test, he scored only 2 runs before being bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.
Kyle Verreynne (3/10): What was said for de Zorzi can also be said about Kyle Verreynne. The wicketkeeper-batter was given another chance to show why he deserves a place in the South African Test team, but he failed to do so, scoring only 28 runs at an average of less than 10.
In the first Test in Centurion, he scored just 4 runs before losing his wicket to a Prasidh Krishna bouncer. Then in the second Test, he offered some resistance by scoring 15 runs in the first innings, but could score only 9 runs in the second innings.
Tristan Stubbs (2/10): Although Tristan Stubbs is primarily known for his powerful batting in limited-overs cricket, he was handed his Test debut in this series because of Bavuma’s absence. But the youngster could not justify his place, scoring 4 runs across the two innings.
All-rounders
Marco Jansen (8/10): Marco Jansen’s performance in this series should be reviewed from two different perspectives – bowling and batting. He could not impress with the ball, picking up only 5 wickets despite having tracks made for seamers. Although, he compensated for it by scoring 95 runs at an average of nearly 50.
In the first Test, Jansen picked up 1 wicket in the first innings and scored 84 runs remaining unbeaten till the end. He then picked up three wickets in the second innings but Cape Town was not a memorable trip for Jansen, as he scored just 11 runs and picked up only one wicket across the two innings.
Keshav Maharaj (1/10): Like Ravindra Jadeja, Keshav Maharaj didn’t get to bowl in the second Test as the conditions were seamer-friendly and the lower-order batter could only muster 6 runs across the two innings falling to Siraj and Bumrah respectively.
Bowlers
Nandre Burger (9/10): One of the biggest takeaways from South Africa in this series is their left-arm pacer Nandre Burger. Having impressed in his debut ODI series, picking up a three-wicket haul in Gqeberha, Burger did exceedingly well in his debut Test series. He picked up 11 wickets by conceding 154 runs, maintaining an average of only 14.
Nandre Burger had an excellent debut Test series
In only his first innings with the ball in Test cricket, he picked up 3 wickets. Then in the second innings in Centurion, he bettered his numbers by picking 4 wickets. Burger was effective in Cape Town as well, picking up 4 wickets.
Kagiso Rabada (9/10): Kagiso Rabada entered the elite list of South African bowlers with 500+ wickets in Test cricket during this series, where he picked up 11 wickets. Conceding 162 runs, the speedster had an average of under 15.
Rabada set the tone right from his first day at the office by picking up a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the Centurion Test. In the second innings, he picked up 2 wickets. Like Burger, he too was decent in Cape Town, picking up 4 wickets.
Gerald Coetzee (2/10): While Gerald Coetzee is now among the first names on South Africa’s team sheet in ODI cricket, the management will not be happy with how the express quick performed in this series. Playing in only the Centurion Test before sustaining an injury, he conceded 102 runs and picked only the wicket of tail-ender Mohammed Siraj.
Lungi Ngidi (7/10): Making his comeback after a long injury period, Lungi Ngidi can be satisfied with how he performed in the Cape Town Test. Conceding only 30 runs, he picked up the wickets of KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Bumrah in the first innings.