Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
India vs South Africa 2nd Test Player Ratings. IND vs SA 2nd Test Player Ratings. Player Ratings for IND vs SA 2nd Test in Pune
Michael Vaughan went into bat for the Proteas. So did famous Sri Lankan fan Daniel Alexander. The pitch was so flat that even 10 days might not have been enough for a result…
Not quite.
In the end, the battle between the Rohit and Virat fans on Twitter was far more competitive and spicy than what was on display in Pune. Unfortunately, South Africa gave these Indian fans nothing more important to worry about, falling significantly short with both and ball.
The match didn’t even reach the fifth day. What a road, right?
Rivalry aside, one must admit that this India side is a good one. Led by Virat Kohli, India were ruthless in most aspects of their game, with only South Africa’s tail making an already one-sided scoreboard look more respectable than what it could have been.
Like the first Test, enjoy some player ratings, CricBlog style. Each player will be rated out of 10.
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India
Mayank Agarwal: Looks right at home in the opening position in Test cricket. After an impressive start to his career in Australia at the turn of the year, Mayank has hit the ground running in home conditions. So much so that he scored double in one knock than what South Africa’s openers could muster up in two (108 vs 54). 9
Rohit Sharma: “Flat pitch” argued some Rohit fans as Virat Kohli played a blinder. Is that a great argument when Rohit was dismissed for 14? His highlight was a superb second innings catch to dismiss Kagiso Rabada. 4
Cheteshwar Pujara: As an Australian fan, it is nice to see Cheteshwar Pujara grinding other teams into the dirt instead of your own. He threatened to go bigger than his 51 in the first dig, but helped get India right on top on the first day. 7
Virat Kohli: A big innings was around the corner. It always is with this man. After a quiet start to the World Test Championship, Kohli burst into life, making South Africa pay for missed chances early in his knock. As soon as he found his feet, he graced us with simply exquisite strokeplay both sides of the wicket. With every flick and drive, the airport became more and more attractive for Faf du Plessis and his players. After the initial stages, his mind told the world that he was not going to get out. He didn’t. 10
Ajinkya Rahane: Patient and classy. A player to be appreciated. India have stuck by Rahane over a lean couple of years, and with good rewards in recent times. His huge 178-run stand with Kohli sucked the life out of the Proteas and made the pitch look totally lifeless when it wasn’t the case. 7.5
Ravindra Jadeja: If any holiday or family feast is to compare to how Jadeja feasted on South Africa, it sure will be one hell of a meal. The sixes and fours were so predictable in the eyes of the small crowd, that his trademark celebration generated the most cheers. Then, unlike South Africa, he was steady with the ball. 8.5
Wriddhiman Saha: If you ever want a picture of how dominant India have been, think of Saha. The man has batted a total of 16 balls in two Tests. However, his keeping was a thing of beauty here, with a blinder down the legside and then a juggling effort capping a fine Test with the gloves. 7
Ravichandran Ashwin: A class above in these conditions. The way he set Faf du Plessis up with the straighter ball was superb off-spin bowling, along with the ripping beauty to remove QdK. There is no better than Ashwin than building pressure with spin in sub-continent conditions. 8
Ishant Sharma: Just the one wicket for the big man, that of Aiden Markram. Slightly expensive first innings, which would have disappointed Ishant. 5
Mohammed Shami: Stop the press. Mohammed Shami took more wickets in the first innings than the second. What’s next? Faf du Plessis winning a toss? RCB winning IPL 2020? Who knows. 7
Umesh Yadav: Last time Umesh Yadav was selected for India, most of the nation took aim at Shastri and Kohli for their decision. Here, he delivered wickets, even with legside deliveries. As often the case, his good balls were very good. 8.5
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South Africa
Dean Elgar: Elgar’s 48 was one of two double-figure scores among South Africa’s top four across both innings. Word on the street is that the Proteas’ lower order held a batting session and invited the top order for practice. 5
Aiden Markram: Hey look, here is a photo of Aiden Markram. What a way to let me down after predicting good things for him this series! 0
Theunis de Bruyn: de Bruyn showed plenty of character in his superb century in Sri Lanka last year. One might have looked at that innings and believed it could kickstart his career. Hasn’t proven to be the case. Out twice to Umesh Yadav off less-than-threatening deliveries. 4
Temba Bavuma: When one says their best isn’t good enough at the moment, the panic button needs to be pushed. If picked, the third Test will be a huge one for Bavuma. 4
Faf du Plessis: The only time Faf could break a smile is when he lost the toss. After that, just one caption describes the proceedings, despite a nice half-century in the first dig. One wonders if he can go to bed at night without the thought of the spinners getting carted around at will? 6
Quinton de Kock: Boy, Quinton really de Kock’d things up in the second innings, didn’t he? His ugly, ugly shot depicted fully the disintegrated Proteas’ batting mindset. Worse, he and Kagiso Rabada were involved in a heated moment on a frustrating second day. 4
Senuran Muthusamy: His batting was so impressive in Vizag that Proteas fans had every right to look forward to more of the same. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, and when he lacks the consistency of a second spinner, it becomes a really tough match. 2
Vernon Philander: Philander alongside two genuine, world class strike bowlers would be more effective in these conditions. However, he did show up his top order counterparts, batting with great fight and application to keep India at bay. He has every right to lead a batting training session… 6
Keshav Maharaj: Wonderful half century with an injured shoulder. Like Dane Piedt in the first Test, Maharaj showed some excellent resistance with the bat. However, the bowling wasn’t great, which is disappointing as he came into the series as one of South Africa’s key bowlers. Now, he is ruled out of the third Test. The priority? Improving against batsmen taking the attack to him. 5
Kagiso Rabada: KG was on song on the opening day, but there is no way a single bowler can hold the fort in India. The lack of adequate support got the better of KG, who let out his frustrations on Quinton de Kock. 7
Anrich Nortje: Anrich began his University Degree with the final exam straight away. Bowled with really good pace, but needed to be slightly fuller to give himself a chance to generate movement. Century of runs on debut. 1
Thanks for reading!
Ratings pretty much on point- only one South African player (KG) gets 7 or more, and only two Indian players (Rohit, Ishant) with less than 7.
The cumulative ratings sum up the test as well- India almost twice as good as the Proteas (7.4/10 compared to the latter’s 4/10).
Proteas perhaps secretly happy this is not a 4/5 test series!