South Africa vs India, 1st Test - India's player ratings

With an emphatic all-round performance, Faf du Plessis’ South Africa pulled off an enthralling 72-run victory against India at Cape Town. The balance kept tilting either side throughout the game, making this an incredible Test to watch. But eventually, it was the hosts who turned out to be a little too strong and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be very disappointed with his personal and team performance. This is not the Kohli we have seen in the last few months, this is not the lineup we have been seeing in the last few years. They got completely outplayed and as a result, they succumbed horrendously inside 43 overs in the second innings.

Stringing partnerships is very important on these tracks, as mentioned by Kohli after the game. This is an area where India failed miserably. In both the innings, India lost their first seven wickets even before they hit the three digit mark. But more than India under-performing, it was South Africa who played tremendous cricket.

Here are the player ratings for the Indian contigent.

1. Shikhar Dhawan – 4/10

A disastrous outing for the southpaw. With the bat, never looked comfortable in the middle and spilled an easy catch at the slips whilst fielding. It’d be surprising if KL Rahul doesn’t replace him in the next game.

2. Murali Vijay – 4/10

A very rare failure for The Monk. No one expected him to get dismissed whilst chasing the deliveries outside off-stump. Certainly, we can expect something much better from him as the tour progresses.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara – 5/10

Tried battling hard under difficult circumstances in the first innings. Just like Vijay, flirted with a delivery outside off to get dismissed in the worst way possible. It’s ironic that he spoke at length about leaving the balls before the match started and eventually, got dismissed the way he never wanted.

4. Virat Kohli – 6/10

Not for his performance with the bat, but for his excellent captaincy and bowler rotation in the second innings. Full marks for handing a debut for Bumrah, but Dhawan and Rohit’s selection still doesn’t seem plausible. Failed with the bat, but he’s just too good to write off so soon.

5. Rohit Sharma – 4/10

Kohli really took a gamble by keeping the experienced Rahane out and roping in Rohit Sharma. Going by form, that might sound a good call, but Rahane’s absence might’ve costed them a good 3-40 runs. Struggled with the bat, barely did anything to get noticed on the field.

6. Wriddhiman Saha – 6/10

Not a bad outing for Saha, but he would’ve loved some runs under his belt. He took a record-breaking 10 catches in the match, which is the most for an Indian wicket-keeper in Tests.

7. Hardik Pandya – 8/10

Played an absolute gem of an innings in the first innings, provided crucial breakthroughs with the ball. This is exactly what Pandya’s role is in the game and he lived up to the expectations. He might’ve failed in the second innings, but he was the main reason behind India coming so close in the game.

8. Ravichandran Ashwin – 6/10

There were times when he kept wondering as to why was he in the playing XI. But he played a solid knock in the second innings, which ignited some hopes towards the end. But his wicket was followed by two more in the same over and the game got done and dusted.

9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 8/10

For me, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was India‘s player of the match. Bowled excellently with the new ball in the first innings and stitched two important partnerships with Pandya and Ashwin in the first and second innings respectively. Showed great temperament when all the other players were caught cold.

10. Jasprit Bumrah – 6/10

Decent debut for Bumrah and certainly, he has a great future even with the red ball. He really has to work hard on his foot landing as he once again delivered some no-balls on crucial occasions. Barring that, not a bad game for him.

11. Mohammed Shami – 7/10

One extra point for his spell in the morning session of the fourth day. He deserved more wickets in the first innings and certainly, he was breathing fire at a point in the second. His confidence levels must be very high after this game.

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