India and South Africa are ready to lock horns in the Boxing Day Test. The buzz around the ‘noise’ which was making headlines from the Indian camp for the past few days has finally calmed down, and now we can move to the real action.
The last time these two nations fought in 2018, it turned out to be an upsetting affair for Indians in Tests, as they went on to lose the series 1-2. India’s squad contains some names from that series which will be looking to change that result and grab their first series win on South African soil. Let’s look at how this bunch has performed in South Africa over the years.
Indian Batters in South Africa
Virat Kohli
The Indian captain bettered his record in South Africa last time he visited the nation by taking his average to 55.8 in ten innings, notching a brilliant century in a losing cause in the second Test.
He’ll be the ace for the team again, especially in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who is ruled out due to injury. With the possibility of a new batting lineup, it will be interesting to see how Kohli, the batter, tackles this new challenge.
Cheteshwar Pujara
A visitor since 2010, Pujara is the most experienced player from the current Indian team in South Africa with the bat. He has scored a century and two 50s, one of which came in 2018.
With his spot in danger due to a rough patch of form, he will look to score big runs this time. Also, a downwards going batting average of 31.61 surely needs a push-up from the Indian number three.
KL Rahul
The newly announced vice-captain of India has some severe batting records to better in South Africa. In four innings, he has a high score of 16, a poor outing all in all.
Also, South Africa remains the only country he has played against and not scored a century. It’s time he changes that vacant figure.
Ajinkya Rahane
A deciding series for Ajinkya Rahane’s career, he will be upfront to put behind the run drought alongside Pujara. While he has not scored a century in South Africa, he has maintained a batting average of 53.20 in six innings.
There’s also a possibility that he might not get a chance to bat due to the entry of Shreyas Iyer, who had a successful debut recently against New Zealand.
Indian Bowlers in South Africa
Ishant Sharma
The Indian legend has, sadly, struggled the most against and in South Africa. He has grabbed 20 wickets in South Africa at a bowling average of 40, his second worst-ranked bowling average overall.
There’s no doubt that Sharma has served his nation with utmost dedication, but he might not get a place in the playing XI this time due to the emergence of Mohammed Siraj, who has been a star on the rise for India.
Ravichandran Ashwin
One country where Ashwin has looked below average has to be the one they are currently touring. Unfortunately, South Africa remains the country where he has his worst bowling average (46.14) and strike rate (101.5).
While he did produce a brilliant four-fer in the second Test in 2018, South Africa remains a monstrous task for him to conquer.
Mohammed Shami
South Africa has proved to be an ideal country for Shami’s skillset to shine properly. The fact that he was the leading wicket-taker for India in 2018 proves that.
He has grabbed 21 wickets (of which 15 came in the last tour) at a bowling average of 24.71 and most probably will better these numbers. He also happens to have the best bowling strike rate (45.2) in South Africa from the current lot.
Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah’s Test debut came in 2018 on South African soil, and from there on, he has just risen higher and higher and now is the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack. With 14 wickets in six innings, which also comprises a match-winning five-fer, Bumrah has a bowling average of 25.21 in South Africa, complemented by a strike rate of 48.
A fun fact – Bumrah had the highest economy rate in his debut Series (E/R: 3.15), and from there on, he has crossed the economy rate of 3 only once, in the 2019-20 series against New Zealand (E/R: 3.08). So if the debutant Bumrah was a menace to South Africans last time, they now have a polished version of him to face.
Conclusion
This is India’s best chance to clinch their first Test series win in South Africa. This time the equations are pretty straightforward. There is no AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, or Faf du Plessis to be a savior, and the Indians know what mistakes they made last time and will be looking to pounce on this golden opportunity.
If we consider what happened last time these two teams fought here, Proteas need a new hero with the bat, or they are a goner on these bouncy pitches. While India will be missing the services of Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, this team has multiple options to fill any role.
There were 40 wickets in every match of the series last time, and most probably, the numbers will be of a similar kind. And there’s no doubt that men with the ball are going to decide the course in South Africa again. If Dean Elgar’s men can remain on the pitch to see through some solid innings, the series is theirs, and if not, well, India finally might have their name on the Freedom Trophy hosted in South Africa.