Team India faced a significant defeat from South Africa, losing by an innings and 32 runs in the first of two Test matches. The match occurred at the SuperSport Park in Centurion, ending in just three days.
South Africa bowled first, with Kagiso Rabada taking five wickets. This enabled them to limit India to 245 runs in the first innings. India’s only standout was KL Rahul, scoring 101 runs.
In response, the Proteas’ team displayed excellent batting, scoring a total of 408 runs, thus leading by 163 runs in the first innings. The highlight was opener Dean Elgar, who scored an impressive 185 runs, featuring 28 boundaries.
With hopes of turning the tide, India’s cricketers fell short. They scored a mere 131 runs and lost by an innings and 32 runs. Virat Kohli held his own, scoring a reliable 76.
First Test performance was dismal and India’s dream of clinching a Test series victory in South Africa lives on.
In the wake of India’s severe defeat, cricket analysts and experts weighed in. They pinpointed India’s missteps. Here are five standout reactions to India’s significant loss to South Africa in the initial Test.
1. Michael Vaughan
While Michael Vaughan was not on the commentary panel for the SA-IND Test, he was on hand to cover the second Test between Australia and Pakistan.
During the lunch break on Day 4 of the Test match in Melbourne, Vaughan referred to India as “huge underachievers,” emphasizing their lack of key triumphs.
“Here’s a question for you – India, in terms of cricket, are they one of the most under-achieving sports team in the world?” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.”
Michael Vaughan
Following India’s humiliation at the hands of South Africa, Vaughan responded to his own question, saying:
“Well, I think they are (under-achievers). They don’t win anything. When was the last time they had won something? With all the talent they have, all the skills and resources? But the last two World Cups, nowhere. T20 World Cup, nowhere.”
Michael Vaughan
Vaughan further stated that despite having skill and resources on their side, India fails to win anything.
The Men in Blue also lost the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and the ODI 2023 World Cup final earlier this year against Australia.
2. Sanjay Bangar
Former India cricketer and assistant coach Sanjay Bangar also expressed his thoughts on the Indian squad following the Test defeat. Bangar stated on the post-match broadcast on Star Sports that the visitors were overconfident in their approach, which led to their demise.
“I just felt that probably the Indian team, sort of, anticipated the the South African batting innings to fold up very cheaply. And right at the start of the innings, inside 15 overs, there were five bowling changes. That doesn’t really happen often. Because generally with the new ball, you want to give those bowlers longer spells.”
Sanjay Bangar
While India scored 245 runs in their first innings, they appeared a little lost with the ball. The Centurion surface provided enough assistance for the pacers, but other from Jasprit Bumrah, none of the Indian bowlers seemed dangerous enough.
3. Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar, who was also in attendance at the Star Sports event, agreed with Sanjay Bangar and felt that the Indian bowlers hurried in an attempt to deplete the Proteas unit.
He even praised Dean Elgar’s batting performance in his match-winning score of 185.
In his post-loss comments, Manjrekar stated that India’s failure was due to overconfidence and wrong evaluation, saying:
“So, he (Sanjay Bangar) is spot on. You saw the way Jasprit Bumrah was bowling. They were trying to get a wicket every ball. Even Mohammed Siraj, and later Prasidh (Krishna) and all those changes and the tactics we saw was India trying to skittle South Africa out for a 150.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
He continued:
“So the lesson learnt is that you can’t be going into any match feeling that confident and Dean Elgar was the big difference. I mean had he (Elgar) failed in that innings, India was right back in the Test match.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Dean Elgar also took over as captain for the Test when Temba Bavuma was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
4. Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri, a former World Cup champion and current head coach, also spoke out following the defeat. In the absence of Mohammed Shami, Ravi Shastri slammed the Indian bowling attack and stated that the team has to find a suitable third seamer.
While watching the game on Star Sports, Ravi Shastri expressed how much the Indian squad missed Shami, Ravi Shastri said:
“Two bowlers were decently experienced – Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. But then, they missed Shami big time in this Test match. Yes, Shardul has experience. He (Shardul) is not a baby, but he is not the third seamer. You need a proper third seamer in overseas conditions.”
Ravi Shastri
Aside from that, Ravi Shastri has shown support for Arshdeep Singh playing Tests for India. While praising Arshdeep’s ability to swing the ball, Ravi Shastri advised him to play more first-class matches in order to prepare for Test cricket. Ravi Shastri Continue:
“The fact is, you have to see his (Arshdeep’s) first-class record. Can he bowl long spells? Has he played a lot of Ranji Trophy cricket? I would, in fact, make him go and play a lot of Ranji Trophy cricket. Frist-class cricket. I would keep him in the mix because if someone can swing it, like he did with the white-ball in South Africa, he could be a handy customer here.”
Ravi Shastri
Arshdeep, who has 38 wickets in 12 first-class matches, recently had a fantastic ODI series against South Africa. The left-arm bowler took 10 wickets in three games and was awarded Player of the Series.
5. Aakash Chopra
Ex-Indian cricketer, Aakash Chopra, offered his insights on the distressing loss. He mentioned the display of nearly every player. He believed that, except for KL Rahul in the opening inning and Virat Kohli in the latter, the Indian team lacked conviction.
Chopra stated that no Indian batsman shown guts and put a price tag on their wickets. The 46-year-old remarked during a statement on Jio Cinema’s daily sports show ‘#AAKASHVANI’:
“An innings defeat is quite humbling. Except for (KL) Rahul in the first innings and (Virat) Kohli in the second, the others did not look convincing. No one looked like willing to play ugly, take body blows and stick around. Rohit Sharma was out to (Kagiso) Rabada in both innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal is still far from figuring out these conditions. Shreyas Iyer didn’t look good. India needed to bat four-five sessions which did not happen.”
Aakash Chopra
Aside from that, Chopra pointed out several mechanical flaws in Shubman Gill’s batting and advised him to get more runs. Chopra stated that Gill began his Test career brightly in Australia but has shrunk slightly in red-ball cricket.
“Gill was impressive in the series against Australia when India toured, and looked like a player for the future. He’s batted well in ODIs which is his favourite format and done modestly in T20s. But in Tests, against England, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies, I don’t think he has performed well. So, there is a question mark. He started off as an opener.
Aakash Chopra
He continued:
“Then he batted at No 3. Eventually he wants to bat at No. 4 is what I feel. But he needs to start scoring runs. There’s a slight technical deficiency in his batting, too. He’s a player who likes to play mostly with his hands and does not rely mainly on his feet. So, this approach may suit flat pitches and white ball cricket. But that does not work in Test cricket.”
Aakash Chopra
Gill, the top ODI run-scorer this year, was removed cheaply in both innings in Centurion. He gloved one down the leg when he was at two in the first inning before getting all ends up versus a more straight-ahead offering in the second.
Gill made 258 runs at an average of 28.67 in six Test matches this year.