Graeme Smith wary that South Africa's 'Gen-next' not yet ready to take on quality oppositions

India is right on the cusp of a first-ever series win on South African soil across formats as they lead 3-0 in the six-match ODI series. After a poor show in the red-ball format, the Virat Kohli led side has made amends and turned tables in their favor. And much of the success goes to the captain himself. In the three matches that have been played, the 29-year-old scored centuries on two occasion and a 46 not out, playing a pivotal role to guide India over the rope in each instance.

On the contrary, this precarious situation has highlighted an important fact in the Proteas cricket setup. India’s complete dominance in the ongoing ODI series is an indicator that the next generation of South African cricketers is not yet prepped up to take on quality oppositions.

Former skipper Graeme Smith also acknowledges the fact. Smith, who played 117 Tests for South Africa, made no bones about the fact that the current series, which looks like going India’s way, will have a big impact on the transition phase the Proteas are going through.

According to Cricket Next, the veteran stylish left-hander said, “At the moment, it looks like a big series loss for the team and it could be disappointing. Post-2019 (World Cup), I think we would lose a couple of players (like AB de Villiers) and this series, in particular, showed that next level of players have a lot of work to do in order to get up to the standards where they can at least be competitive.

He added, “I think SA cricket will have to really plan as to how they are looking to blood youngsters. Maybe keep them in the system (academy or domestic cricket) a bit longer.”

India could have won the Test series too if Rahane played

Smith also opined the Indian team could have won the Test series, had they not erred in their playing combination which didn’t have an impact player like Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane, a lynchpin in India’s batting lineup and a proven contender in overseas condition was left out in the first two Test fixtures owing to his poor patch of form. He was eventually brought in for the final Test at Johannesburg which India ended up winning.