India vs South Africa 1st Test Player Ratings. IND vs SA 1st Test Player Ratings. Player Ratings for IND vs SA 1st Test
Faf du Plessis lost a part of his soul when he lost the toss.
So, Rohit Sharma immediately had the chance to repay the faith, with dedicated Rohit fan accounts set to either have a busy day or the temptation to deactivate. Busy they were, as Rohit and Mayank Agarwal kept the rest of the Indian team as inactive as the BCCI Twitter account.
Back to du Plessis. His groans, ooh’s, aah’s and what not from first slip was South Africa’s only impact on the first day. However, he finished the Test ‘proud’ of his team after coming back into the game in their first innings. However, South Africa’s lack of control with the ball, combined with nervy second innings batting got the better of them as we saw why India is the toughest road trip in world cricket right now.
Each player will be rated out of 10, CricBlog style. Always room for a little humour!
India
Mayank Agarwal: A magnificent debut home Test. As South Africa toiled, Mayank filled his boots to score his first century. He made it a very big one, reaching his double century on the second afternoon. Rohit’s twin innings heroics perhaps overshadows Mayank a touch, but he was superb. 10
Rohit Sharma: Will Rohit succeed or fail as a Test opener? Such was the build up that you could have mistaken the series as Rohit vs South Africa. However, Rohit answered the questions as best he could, becoming the first man in Test history to score twin centuries in his first Test as opener. Also, unlike Ravi Shastri, Rohit was able to get the best out of Cheteshwar Pujara. Ben Stokes style. What a Test. 10
Cheteshwar Pujara: Before the ‘abuse’ hurled at him by Rohit in the second dig, Pujara sat on 8 off 61 balls. In contrast, Rohit had 48 in 70 balls. His start to the innings was certainly peculiar, given that India had to score quite quickly to set an imposing total and give themselves enough time to bowl South Africa out again. However, after the ‘Ben Stokes’ comment, ChePu scored 73 runs in 67 balls. Step aside, Shastri, who needs time in the nets to score? Just Ben Stokes the guy. 8
Virat Kohli: Late declaration to ensure greater safety or the will to satisfy the desire to hit rival Kagiso Rabada for at least one boundary? A quiet Test for Kohli, who will be out for a big second match. Led the team pretty well. 6
Ajinkya Rahane: From walking in at three for not many in the West Indies to 3/377 in India, Rahane experienced quite the contrast. He did little to improve his peculiar home record, but his strokeplay in the second dig was a sight to behold. 5
Hanuma Vihari: Another star from the Caribbean that was not needed here. Almost as inactive as the BCCI Twitter account. Yes, that’s my new saying. 4
Wriddhiman Saha: Those in favour of Rishabh Pant had a lovely moment when Saha grassed a catch in the first innings off Dean Elgar. However, all in all, he was relatively safe behind the stumps. A highlight was his fine catch to dismiss Theunis de Bruyn in the first innings. 5
Ravichandran Ashwin: With a stock ball as beautiful as R Ashwin’s, it is incredible to think why he turns to the variations so often, particularly overseas. However, take nothing away from his feat of equalling Murali’s record of 350 wickets in 66 Tests. The control and consistency he displayed was a far cry to that of the South African spinners. 9
Ravindra Jadeja: Poor in the first innings by usual standards, but roared back in the second innings. Ravindra Shami. 7.5
Ishant Sharma: A challenging track for a tall seamer looking to extract bounce. However, a play Ishant could look at is bowling around the wicket to left-handers, targeting the stumps. 6
Mohammed Shami: A second innings exhibition from the second innings specialist. Opposite to the usual occurrence of spinners dominating the fourth innings of a Test in India, Shami ripped through South Africa on the final day with some brilliant bowling. He targeted the stumps, but just short enough to have the South Africans rooted to the crease. 8.5
South Africa
Dean Elgar: Guts, grit and determination. A superb first innings century that gave South Africa a say in the match. After the first two days represented a WhatsApp group chat where only Indian players were chatting, Dean Elgar entered the conversation nicely. 8
Aiden Markram: If making a start then getting out was an Olympic sport, Markram’s neck could easily break due to the weight of all the medals. I said he will step up. He better. 4
Theunis de Bruyn: Adrenalin junky? Lover of bungee jumping? Sky diving? None of that compares to de Bruyn reaching and trying to drive and cut Ashwin against the turn. 2
Temba Bavuma: Pace was Bavuma’s downfall in both knocks. The Proteas need him to step up, with his low centre of gravity a handy trait to have in these conditions. 3
Faf du Plessis: His field placements in the second innings, where South Africa needed to limit the scoring, left a little to be desired. However, his first innings fifty helped get South Africa a foothold in the match. Good effort after the pure devastation of losing the toss! 6
Quinton de Kock: As the Twitter feed was graced with Pant and de Kock jokes, Quinton highlighted his class. His first innings century was brilliant and will now be tasked with following it up after a disappointing second innings. 8
Senuran Muthusamy: This guy can certainly bat. 82 unbeaten runs on debut in alien conditions is outstanding, giving the top order hope that if they can step up, they have resistance down the order to hurt India. If Muthusamy can bowl with a little more control, the Proteas will have a fine Test all-rounder on their hands. 7
Vernon Philander: South Africa lost the toss, which was out of their control. But, hitting the stumps is in their control, and Philander should be doing just that in these conditions. Instead, the majority of his deliveries in his first spell were missing the stumps. It is no coincidence that his two wickets were bowled and LBW. A pair topped off a challenging Test. 5
Keshav Maharaj: South Africa’s big spin hope was under par in this match. His good deliveries were offset by very loose ones, unable to build pressure throughout the match. Needs to be more consistent. 4
Dane Piedt: A superb 56 is unlikely to save Dane’s spot, much to the disappointment of Rohit Sharma. Far too many loose deliveries in a match where his figures read: 31-4-209-1. 2.5
Kagiso Rabada: A tough Test where South Africa’s premier bowler took just one wicket. Luck wasn’t on his side, but it is time to look to take the stumps out. The Proteas need more from KG. 4
Thanks for reading!
