5 Positive takeaways for South Africa despite losing the series 3-0

5 Positive takeaways for South Africa despite losing the series 3-0: The South African side was thoroughly outplayed by the Indian team in the recently concluded four-match Test series. The number one ranked Test team in the world had a comprehensive unbeaten overseas record for the last 9 years, but the record was broken on Indian soil. While some might blame the pitch for the dismal batting show, there are others who criticized the batsmen for a lack of temperament and skill. The series was definitely a long lost one as South Africa were never in the hunt, but there is always a silver lining through the darkest of the skies. Here are 5 Positive takeaways for South Africa despite losing the series 3-0: 1. AB’s class & temperament: For the ones who had reservations about the modern day batting master’s temperament in Test cricket, this series was an ideal eye-opener. He continued his good form from the ODI series where he struck 3 tons. Except the 3rd Test, where he could manage just 0 and 1, AB scored well under difficult circumstances. He top-scored in the first innings at Mohali with 63. In the washed out game at Bengaluru, which was the 100th Test of his career, he again showed class with a spectacular innings of 85. In the last Test, de Villiers showed that he did not lack any temperament and had the class to stage a blockathon with a marathon innings of 43 off 297 balls. In a series when most of the South African batsmen struggled, AB de Villiers top-scored for the visitors with 258 runs in 7 innings and was the 2nd highest run scorer of the series behind Ajinkya Rahane who scored 266. Also Read – India v South Africa Test series – South Africa Player Ratings 2. Young Temba Bavuma’s impressive performance: Even before he made his maiden appearance in the series, this young lad from Cape Town had already made a mark in the Test series. Fielding as a substitute fielder, at short leg, he was quick and agile. South Africa has definitely found a good close-in fielder in the form of Bavuma. In the Mohali Test, he caught Murali Vijay at short leg and bettered the catch by taking another diving catch to dismiss Ajinkya Rahane. When he finally got a chance to play in the last Test, he showed his prowess with the bat. His technique looked sound. He certainly didn’t look like a big hitter, but more of a nudger who could take singles at will and keep the score ticking. He contributed with 22 out of 121 that South Africa posted in the first innings. His basics looked right when he initiated the defense with skipper Amla and scored 117-ball 34 in the 2nd innings under tough conditions. 3. Morne Morkel’s consistency: The pitches in India were nowhere close to being pace-friendly but South African speedster Morne Morkel, showed his experience by being among the wickets on most occasions. A rare failure was the washed out Test at Bengaluru where he went wicketless in the 7 overs he bowled. In the absence of Dale Steyn, Morkel took the charge and bowled with a big heart. He got three 3-wicket hauls in the 3 matches that he played after missing the first game. His best figures came in the 2nd innings at Nagpur when he scalped 3/19. The lanky pacer bowled with great pace and his consistency is something that will definitely please the Protea side despite the series loss. 4. Emergence of Kyle Abbott: Yet another interesting positive takeaway for the visiting side was the bowling performance put on by Kyle Abbott. Abbott did not get a chance to play in the first Test but replaced Steyn in the second. The match, however, was washed out. He was unlucky to have missed the next match at Nagpur but got another opportunity in the final Test. As it is said, the best players often make the most of the limited opportunities they get. And Abbott certainly did reap all that he could in the opportunity that he got. He bowled with great flair and consistency. He was unlucky to have dismissed Vijay on a no-ball and then had the skipper Amla dropping a catch in the slips off his bowling. But he struck gold soon as he knocked down Pujara with a peach of a delivery and then went on to take the second five-wicket haul of his career with 5/40. In the second innings too, he bowled consistent lines as was seen on the pitch maps during the Test. On the fourth day, he trapped Indian skipper Kohli right in front of the stumps to dismiss him for 88. Surely, he is one of the positives that the South Africa side could take with pride after a lost series. 5. Skipper Amla doing what he is best at! The South African Test skipper, Hashim Amla was under the scanner before the final Test for having performed poorly, not just in the Tests but also in the limited overs. Amla was the only South African batsman who could not register a big score in the entire tour, along with David Miller. He started off well with a 43 in the 1st Test but lost his way with single digit scores that followed. In the third Test, he came up with a fighting 39 of 167 balls, but could not keep the defeat away from the visiting side. What impressed all was the temperament that he showed during the second innings of the final Test. He staged the ultimate blockathon along with AB de Villiers and Bavuma. Swallowing up 244 deliveries for his 25 runs with a strike rate of 10.24, he almost singlehandedly took his side towards a draw. Interestingly, this was not the first time he had a strike rate below 20 in an innings. He had earlier scored 25 off 159 against Sri Lanka in 2014. So watching Amla bat through tough conditions at Nagpur and Delhi, South African side would be pleased to see their skipper doing what he is best at.

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5 Positive takeaways for South Africa despite losing the series 3-0

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