Proteas Pack a Punch
Written on February 6th, 2022 by {"login"=>"jcbphc21", "email"=>"f20181005@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"Journal Club", "last_name"=>"BPHC"}First Test
Riding on the highs of the dominating performance against a frail English team, India was raring for another opportunity to showcase their skills outside home conditions. The arena for the first test was The Centurion, a ground where South Africa has only lost twice in the past and a place where no Asian team has managed to upset the hosts. The odds were stacked against the men in blue (or white(?)), but they had started to make a habit of breaching fortresses. Furthermore, it was a relatively new-look South African team, still in the process of rebuilding after the retirement of some of their legends. If an Asian team were to ever win at The Centurion, it would be this Indian team.
Kohli, uncharacteristically, won the toss and elected to bat first. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were tasked with laying the foundation for the team. The pair put on a brilliant partnership of 117 before Mayank was dismissed for 60. Unfortunately, as we have come to expect, our middle order showed little to no fight. With Pujara going for a golden duck and Kohli and Rahane struggling to make 90 between them, there was no support for KL Rahul, who went on to score a brilliant 100. Ngidi finished as the pick of the bowlers for SA, claiming 6 scalps.
In the 2nd innings, Bumrah took off right where he left off in England, picking up the SA skipper in the first over. Shami soon joined the party and picked up a 5 wicket haul, bundling the hosts out for a paltry 197.
Unfortunately, the Indian openers couldn’t recreate their first innings heroics and were back in the hut pretty quickly. The pressure of The Centurion and some fiery bowling from debutant Marco Jansen put the Indians in a spot of bother, getting all out for just 174, leaving SA with a target of 305 to win.
It must be said that chasing down 300+ in SA is no easy feat, and the home team were definitely the underdogs going into the final innings. Shami got the early breakthrough this time, trapping Makram in front for 1. Bumrah and Siraj followed suit, picking up 5 wickets between them. While the Indians were able to pick up wickets regularly, things were still pretty even while Dean Elgar was at the crease. While a win looked improbable, SA were putting up their walls and beginning to grind it out, looking for a draw. Just when things may have started to get uncomfortable for the visitors, Ravi Ashwin unleashed his tricks and helped clean up the tail, taking India to their first-ever win at this ground.
With a big win in the first test, the tone was set for the rest of the series. Despite winning, India still had glaring problems in their middle order. For South Africa, the performances of players like Bavuma, Elgar, Ngidi, and Jansen were the silver lining.
Second Test
The second game of the three-match series was played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg from January 3. India led the series 1-0 and was looking to wrap things up. On the other hand, South Africa was looking to even things out to keep the series alive. Unlike the last time, Wanderers was considered India’s fortress in South Africa, since they were yet to lose a test match at this venue.
The toss was delayed for an hour due to some light rainfall. As soon as the covers were off, captains were out for toss, and everyone was shocked to see KL Rahul as captain of the Indian side. Virat Kohli was ruled out of the second test match. Once again, India won the toss and elected to bat. Openers gave a quick start and negotiated the dangerous first hour cautiously; however, once Mayank edged one off Rabada straight to the keeper, the trouble began for India again. Pujara soon returned to the pavilion with a paltry 3(33) and then to make things worse, Rahane edged one to Keegan Petersen on his first ball, scoring a golden duck. Vihari and Rahul briefly steadied the innings until Vihari departed for 20(53). Meanwhile, Rahul reached his half-century by playing a steady innings before becoming a victim of the uneven bouncy pitch and top-edged one-off Rabada to Marco Jensen. India’s tail was exposed after that, and our bowlers clearly lacked batting intent. However, Ashwin played a crucial knock of 46(50) without much support from the other end as India was bundled out for a meager 202, one of the lowest first-innings total at Wanderers.
The start of Proteas innings wasn’t great either. Shami found Markram’s pad just in the fourth over. However, gritty Elgar and Keegan Peterson soon steadied the ship as the duo stitched on a decent partnership. After Peterson’s 62(118) and Bavuma’s 51(60), some quick runs from the African tail helped them get a small but decisive lead of 27 runs. Shardul Thakur bowled exceptionally and achieved a career-best bowling figure of 7-61. All other bowlers from the Indian camp didn’t look sharp enough to tear through the gritty South African batting line-up.
In the 2nd innings, the start of the Indian batting wasn’t smooth. KL Rahul threw away his wicket in the seventh over of the innings ending his struggle on the pitch. Mayank was also LBW off a ripper of Olivier. Once again, India’s fragile middle-order was exposed in front of the South African bowling attack. In a surprising twist of events, the Rahane-Pujara duo had some other plans and put on an excellent century partnership between them, which was crucial for India to put a decent score on board for the hosts to chase. After the duo’s departure, Hanuma Vihari held his ground until the end by scoring unbeaten 40(84) and helped put up a decent score of 266.
With a target of 240 to chase, South Africans came out to bat with a calm and composed mindset, evident from their brisk start. Their bold batting made world-class Indian bowling look like a club-level bowling unit, absolutely toothless! After Markram’s departure, every batter from the top-order contributed their part as Captain Elgar marched them towards the well-deserved victory at Wanderers by scoring a fluent and unbeaten 96 off 188 balls. The series was now level at 1-1. While the South African camp was filled with joy and ecstasy, the Indian camp was dejected and had some questions to answer as they went into the final match of the series.
Third Test
The last match and the series decider was held at Cape Town where India haven’t won a single test match till date. Going into the last match, the South Africans had the upper hand since they were coming off a great win at Wanderers. Whereas India was looking to breach another fortress of South Africa to win the decider and create history by winning their first-ever test series on African soil. Captain Kohli was back for India as he replaced Vihari at no. 4, and Umesh Yadav replaced Siraj. On the other hand, South Africa didn’t change their winning combination. India once again won the toss and chose to bat.
In the 1st innings, Rahul and Mayank negotiated the African quicks quite well, but both fell soon after the tenth over. Captain Kohli and Pujara built a decent partnership between them and made the new ball lose its shine. Reliable as ever, Rahane failed to impress as he departed for a below-par score of 9. From thereon, little to no resistance was shown by the Indian middle-order, and Kohli was the only batsman who held his ground till the very end by scoring a 79(201) with a brilliant 82% control. The battle between Kohli and Rabada was worth watching and was a top moment in the whole series. Despite Kohli's resistance, India could only put up 223.
South Africa’s opening was shaky. Bumrah managed to send Elgar cheaply, the hero of the last match. The next day Markram was cleaned up within a couple of overs. However, Keshav Maharaj helped SA with a brisk 25 runs, a pricelss contribution from a nightwatchman. After that, it was all about Keegan Peterson. He batted with unbelievable grit and had answers to Indian pacers. Unfortunately, he didn't receive much support from his fellow batters. At the end of 76-odd overs, South Africa were all out for 210, giving India a slim 13 run lead.
India’s start of the 2nd inning was far from good. Mayank and Rahul threw their wicket in the fifth and sixth over, respectively, and from there on, it just got worse. Characteristically, Pujara and Rahane got out in successive overs, and the Indian batters continued to get out in bundles. Rishabh Pant was the only man who showed some resilience and was unbeaten till the end with a brilliant century. It seemed like he and the other batters of the team were playing on different pitches. Pant’s innings helped India to post 198, and with the lead of 13, the target was set of 212 runs for hosts to chase and seal the series.
South Africa started their chase with determination, and it was reflected in their batting style. Despite getting Aiden Markram early, India couldn’t take advantage of the breakthrough. From there onwards, everything went SA’s way. Keegan Peterson continued his dream form through the innings, and runs kept flowing for South Africa. Indian bowling looked absolutely toothless, and they couldn’t take advantage of the chances. With ease, South Africa chased down the target within 65 overs and won the match by 7 wickets.
Technically speaking, it was just another home series win for South Africa against India. But considering all other factors, this is a historic achievement for the Proteas. From a young side undergoing transition and then enduring retirement mid-series, to come back from 0-1 down against the top-ranked side in the world is just incredible. Moreover, both the wins came off chasing significant 200+ targets. Keegan Peterson was named Player of the match and series for his outstanding batting form.
ODI Series
The three-match Test series campaign against South Africa was forgettable for Team India. India floundered their best possible chance of winning a maiden Test series on South African soil against a relatively inexperienced side. Conceding a 2-1 victory after leading 1-0 was not a pleasant experience by any means. India still had something to play for - the ODI series. Our best shot at salvaging some of the lost pride.
As it turned out, the Proteas were not in the mood to hold back. They meant serious business. As the one-dayers kicked off on January 19, the South Africans went all guns blazing. Three One Day International matches were played between January 19 and January 23. The result? A humiliating 3-0 whitewash of India by South Africa.
First ODI
The first ODI was played in Paarl, at the Boland Park. This was KL Rahul's first match as Indian captain in ODIs. Venkatesh Iyer was making his ODI debut. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had returned after a long injury-plagued absence from the Indian team. Yuzvendra Chahal made the team after a long time as well. Marco Jansen was all set to make his ODI debut after an impressive performance in the Test series for the hosts.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. Quinton de Kock, returning after his unexpected retirement from the Test format, opened the innings with Janneman Malan. Jasprit Bumrah started with the ball for India. Captain Temba Bavuma walked out to bat at 19-1 after Malan fell early, trying to poke at a Jasprit Bumrah ball that was leaving him. While QDK was playing some authoritative shots at one end, Bavuma seemed to have carried his brilliant form in the Tests to the ODI format. At one point, he was just 18 off 42 balls. As it would turn out later, he was doing the right thing at the time. After de Kock and Markram were dismissed quickly, the latter being left stranded courtesy of a brilliant V. Iyer direct hit, the dangerous Rassie van der Dussen came to the crease at 68-3. Together with Bavuma, he stitched a 204-run 4th-wicket partnership that sealed the deal for the hosts.
Right from ball one, Rassie looked to attack, sweeping Chahal and putting away every bad ball that came his way. The 100-run partnership came up in the 34th over, and the Indian bowlers looked clueless. The South African captain brought up his century off 133 deliveries, playing the role of an anchor to perfection. On the other side of the crease, van der Dussen kept giving the bowlers a hard time, bringing up his 100 off just 83 balls. The bowlers looked clueless, and all the strategies appeared to have no effect, with Bhuvi looking like a shadow of his past self and Shardul being hit everywhere in the park. By the time Temba was dismissed on 110 (143) in the 49th over, the damage had been done. South Africa posted a healthy 296/4 at the end of 50 overs, with van der Dussen staying unbeaten on 129 (96).
Chasing 297, captain Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan opened the Indian innings. In national colours after a long time, Dhawan looked in good touch as he played some confident shots through the covers. Aiden Markram gave South Africa their first breakthrough, bowling out the defensive KL Rahul for a meagre 12 off 17 balls. In came Virat Kohli, no longer the captain, with a weight of expectation on his shoulders. The 71st was long due. With his Delhi bud Dhawan, Kohli stitched together a vital 92-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. They were cruising along when, against the run of play, Dhawan was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj for a well-made 79. Kohli followed suit, throwing away his wicket at 51. Never really known for his sweeping ability, Virat top-edged a Shamsi delivery to Bavuma at mid-wicket. With India suddenly in trouble at 152-3, the onus was on the young middle order to see the team through. Sadly, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant were dismissed early, followed by R. Ashwin. Trying to hit big, Venky Iyer was out caught in the deep for a forgettable 2 runs. Batting with the tail, Shardul Thakur put up a valiant effort at the end of the Indian innings, even bringing up his half-century in the process. But it was a little too late. India could only manage 265/8 and lost the match by 31 runs. The failure of the Indian middle-order did not help at all. The bowling did not have any sting in it, and Venkatesh Iyer not being used in the bowling department at all came as an unpleasant surprise.
Rassie van der Dussen was announced Player of the Match thanks to his unbeaten knock of 129 off 96 deliveries.
Second ODI
The second ODI was played on January 21 at Boland Park. The Proteas roped in Sisanda Magala in place of Marco Jansen. The men in blue did not make any changes. Rahul won the toss and decided to bat first. It was a must-win game for the Indians if they were to have a shot at winning the series.
The opening pair of KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan made a responsible start to take the visitors to 63-0, before Dhawan, who was looking good, got caught by Magala at mid-wicket in an attempt to slog-sweep Aiden Markram. Virat's woes against spin continued as he lofted a Maharaj delivery straight into the hands of Temba Bavuma in the cover region, getting dismissed for a 5-ball duck. Pant came out to bat and looked aggressive from the start. While KL Rahul secured the crease at one end, Rishabh looked for bad balls to put away to the fence. India were 70-2 when a massive fielding blunder by the hosts saw none of the batsmen being ran out despite both being caught up on the same side of the pitch.
Pant and Rahul continued to pile up runs for India, and brought up a 100-run partnership for the 3rd-wicket off just 95 deliveries. On one end, Rahul was anchoring the innings, playing steadily and cautiously. On the other, Rishabh Pant was hammering the Protea spinners all over the park with his trademark one-handed and off-balance shots. He brought up his fifty off just 43 deliveries and looked very entertaining as he took the attack to the bowlers. Rahul was dismissed softly off a Sisanda Magala delivery on 55, bringing Shreyas Iyer to the crease. Pant followed suit, getting dismissed by Shamsi on a well-made 85 off 71 deliveries. The two Iyers, Shreyas and Venkatesh, looked to form a partnership when Shamsi struck again, trapping Shreyas plumb in front of the stumps. His poor run with the bat continued. A brilliant leg-side stumping effort by Quinton de Kock saw Venky home while he was looking solid on 22 off 33 balls. Shardul displayed his class once again, playing a stroke-filled yet responsible innings, as he and Ashwin piled up 49 runs for the 7th wicket. India reached 287/6 at the end of 50 overs, which could have been a lot more if not for some intelligent death bowling by Lungi Ngidi. The total was respectable, but not enough against a quality South African batting unit.
The South African openers looked like they were on a mission to complete the chase as quickly as possible as they went all guns blazing. Barring a stumping opportunity he gave Pant, QDK looked in sublime touch. Malan and de Kock put on a massive 132-run opening partnership before Shardul dismissed Quinton de Kock for a brilliantly made 78. However, Malan showed no signs of stopping as he propelled the chase on, now with his captain by his side. He was dismissed on 91, nine runs short of a well-deserved century, off a slower ball by Bumrah. But he had already broken India's back. Bavuma was soon dismissed on 35, Chahal finally getting a wicket. Markram and van der Dussen comfortably saw South Africa home with 11 balls remaining.
The Indian bowlers' lack of wicket-taking ability in the middle overs and a dismal show by the spinners hurt them again as the Proteas clinched the series 2-0. Quinton de Kock was declared the Player of the Match for his 78 (66) and his brilliant efforts behind the stumps.
Third ODI
With the series already in favour of the Proteas, the third ODI played at Newlands, Cape Town on January 23 was much more than just a formality. It was India's chance at avoiding a 3-0 clean sweep. India made several changes, bringing in Surya Kumar Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Jayant Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna.
KL won the toss and elected to bowl this time. A beauty from D. Chahar got Malan for a 1, giving India the perfect start. Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram were dismissed for 8 and 15 runs. While wickets kept falling at one end, Quinton de Kock stood tall and batted as elegantly as ever, driving gracefully down the ground and pulling the short balls over the fence. Quinton brought up his seventeenth ODI hundred off 108 balls, as Rassie van der Dussen gave him support. Together, they put up a 144-run partnership for the fourth wicket. India looked to be in deep trouble. After van der Dussen was dismissed by Chahal courtesy of a brilliant diving catch by Shreyas Iyer in the deep, things started to go downhill for South Africa. From 214/4 in 35.4 overs, they were bowled out for 287 with a ball to spare. Some good death bowling by Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna was enough to prevent the dangerous David Miller from causing some severe damage. If not for Miller and Pretorius, the score could have been lower.
India had a team more than capable of chasing the target of 288, but given the poor run of the batting lineup as a whole, questions remained. KL Rahul was dismissed for 9 runs, and Virat Kohli joined Shikhar Dhawan in the middle when the score was 18-1. Dhawan played some classy shots to bring up his half-century, with Kohli securing the innings. The Delhi boys put up a significant 98-run partnership before Dhawan top-edged a short ball from Andile Phehlukwayo on 61. Rishabh Pant's stay at the crease was short-lived. Trying to play an ambitious shot over the covers, he was caught in the deep by Magala, departing without scoring. Virat Kohli looked in fine touch, bringing up his 64th ODI half-century and dedicating his celebration to his daughter, who was in attendance.
Kohli's stay, however, did not last long enough as he was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj again on a well-made 65. Suryakumar Yadav very rarely disappoints when he gets chances. This time too, it was no exception. Playing in a world of his own, he kept sweeping, cutting, and driving the ball with a timing possessed only by the elite. He looked to form a stable partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who was dismissed on 26 by a bouncer off Magala. SKY could not capitalise on his start, though, as Bavuma caught him off Pretorius in his attempt of trying something fancy. India were reeling on 210-6, and all hope of a win seemed lost when into the crease walked Deepak Chahar.
Under trying circumstances, Chahar produced something special as he roared on to a fifty off just 31 deliveries. Bumrah was playing the sidekick role, and at one point, India needed just 10 runs off 18 balls with three wickets in hand. The job was almost done, but it was not meant to be. Chahar was dismissed on 54, and some calm-headed captaincy by Bavuma saw Bumrah off as well. It was the 50th over. The display board showed- 5 runs needed from 5 balls. One wicket remained, with Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna in the middle. Chahal on strike, failed to do the job, getting caught in the process of trying to hit big. India lost the match by just 4 runs. It must have been heartbreaking for Deepak Chahar, seeing all his efforts go down the drain.
The 3-0 whitewash was complete. Quinton de Kock was announced Player of the Match for his brilliant 124 off 130 deliveries. The perfect gift for his newborn daughter. The wicketkeeper-batsman was also declared the Player of the Series. A series whitewash is not the result India expected, that too against a side in the process of rebuilding their team. This should serve as a wake-up call going forward if Team India are to make a mark in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.