There have been more lows than highs for Team India during their Test trips of South Africa; their most recent innings loss in the 2023 Boxing Day Test at Centurion being one of the lowest moments. But a few years ago, at the Super Sport Park in Centurion, when the Men in Blue just became the third team to overcome the Proteas, things were quite different.
The historic 113-run victory will commemorate its second anniversary on December 30, 2023. In difficult conditions, India took the bold decision to bat first, and their hitters performed admirably. After finishing the first day on 274-3, thanks to an outstanding century from KL Rahul, they enjoyed one of their best days in South Africa.
India achieved a remarkable triumph and a rare series lead on South African soil by bowling South Africa out in less than 200 runs in both innings thanks to the speed three of Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah at the peak of their abilities.
Even if the final two games of the series did not go as planned, the victory in Centurion will always be remembered.
Let’s look at some lessons the current Indian squad may draw from the historic victory as we mark the two-year anniversary of the thrilling victory.
1. Patience
Hitting in tough away games against top-ranking bowlers takes serious patience and skill. Many Indian players, sadly, lacked in both during their loss to South Africa in the starting Test of their 2023 tour.
Newcomers like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer struggled in these unfamiliar conditions. If a player gets a great bowl or a fielder makes an amazing catch, skill doesn’t always matter. But patience, that’s expected at this level.
It may be argued that the Indian hitters did not spend enough time on the field to properly evaluate the circumstances. In the first innings, India completed 67.4 overs, with only KL Rahul and Virat Kohli playing more than 50 deliveries. Only Kohli batted for more over 50 deliveries in the second time of asking, and India was eliminated in just 34.1 overs.
The Men in Blue 2021 Centurion Test story tells a different tale. They faced 156 overs, with 105.3 in the first innings that led to victory. Star players KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, and Virat Kohli were at bat for a while. Their teamwork helped India score over 300 runs, a feat unmet in future series.
2. Adapting to the conditions
Team India had the better playing XI on paper in 2023, despite the absence of Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. India trailed behind the hosts with the bat and the ball, but the hosts took full advantage of the circumstances to win.
The two most effective of the South African pacers, Rabada and Burger, were comparatively equally potent. Even though Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were able to exert some pressure with their spells, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur did not back them.
South Africa was able to take advantage of Krishna and Thakur’s careless use of lines and lengths as well as their overall tendency to bowl a little too full.
From Rohit Sharma’s unfortunate pull in the first half hour of the Test to Gill and Iyer trying to play across the line in the second innings, the Indian batsmen appeared to be in a hurry and lost their wickets to needless shots even when they were using the bat.
3. Body Language
Despite having several players from the previous tour, the 2023 Indian squad appeared to be a shell of their former selves on the field. Aside from the technical errors, there was a noticeable lack of spark and intensity, which contributed to the loss.
Even at the beginning of the third day, when they were still somewhat in control of the proceedings, Team India’s energy levels and body language remained fairly reserved. The Proteas were able to easily take a commanding lead because of their subpar play on the field and the injured players.
On-air critics such as Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri criticized the players’ terrible body language, calling them ‘listless’.
Conversely, the 2021 team was full of energy and motivated by hostility. With the ever-aggressive Virat Kohli as captain and the chirping Rishabh Pant wearing the gloves behind the wickets, they were utterly relentless on the field.
