1905 deliveries. Or, 317.3 overs. Or, slightly over three full-length ODI matches.
This is how long the recently concluded Test series – with added emphasis on the word ‘series’ – between India and South Africa lasted. With a win apiece, the two teams shared spoils, and also, 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points.
Keeping the outcome aside, the two-match affair – despite its short duration – presented the Indian cricket team and the larger cricket community with a few major learnings.
Let’s dive into those:
The Fading Form of Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill, like many others in the sport, will happily testify that first impressions indeed last. For, after scoring 80 runs on his Test debut at a difficult Melbourne Cricket Ground surface, and then following it up with half-centuries in Sydney and Brisbane, he became an indispensable part of the team.
Yet, about three years down the line, his story – be it only in Tests, for he has been a revelation in white-ball cricket – is steadily inching closer to following the narrative of a spark that faded away, as highlighted by his consistently diminishing average.
Shubman Gill’s Test averages by year:
2020 – 80.00
2021 – 29.88
2022 – 29.67
2023 – 28.67
2024 – 23.00
Except for the first innings in Cape Town, where he played a resolute 55-ball 36, the ‘prince’ – as affectionately called by the Indian fans – could not make an indelible mark, or any mark for that matter, in this series. His series accumulation read 74 runs at an average of 18.50, which might ring bells of concern.
Class Is Permanent, Virat Kohli Is Class
South Africa has historically been a challenging venue for Indian batters, but try telling that to Virat Kohli. In only his maiden Test match in the rainbow nation, a 25-year-old Kohli made light work of the Wanderers track, scoring 119 in the first innings and 96 in the second.
Since then, he has always found an answer to everything that has been thrown at him in this part of the world. His latest answer to the Proteas’ threat, which included potent ammunitions in Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee, was 172 runs – the most by any Indian batter in this series.
Runs and averages of India’s experienced trio in South Africa:
Virat Kohli – 891 runs, 49.50 average
Rohit Sharma – 183 runs, 16.64 average
KL Rahul – 369 runs, 43.93 average
Kohli not only has the highest average among India’s experienced trio – as the statistics highlight – but he also is the only Indian batter from the current team to have an average in South Africa higher than his career Test average (49.16).
Indian Pacers Are Here To Dominate
Questions were raised about India’s pace-bowling performance after the Centurion Test, and rightfully so, as South Africa scored 408 runs on a pitch which had purchase aplenty for the seamers.
Albeit, the questions did not last long, for the Indian pace battery – despite the absence of a vital cog in Mohammed Shami – stunned the hosts in Cape Town. Mohammed Siraj’s six-wicket haul in the first innings, followed by Jasprit Bumrah’s six-fer in the second, meant that South Africa could only score 231 runs in the two innings combined.
Most Test wickets in SENA countries by players from non-SENA nations (since 2021):
Jasprit Bumrah – 50
Mohammed Siraj – 43
Mohammed Shami – 35
Shardul Thakur – 30
Aamer Jamal – 18
Over the last three years, Jasprit Bumrah has managed to pick 23 and 24 wickets in England and South Africa respectively, having played only five Tests on each of those venues during this span. In his absence, Siraj picked up five wickets in a Test in Australia, effectively putting India’s pace depth – once desperately found wanting – on exhibition for the world to witness.
With three away Test series scheduled in the ongoing WTC cycle, two of them to be played in England and New Zealand, India can rely on the Bumrah-Siraj-Shami trio to bail them out of difficult circumstances.
The Pitch Whataboutery
Lasting 642 deliveries – only seven overs more than an ODI game – the match in Cape Town was historic, for it was the shortest Test ever to yield a winner. In Centurion, the match lasted for 1263 deliveries.
This, quite understandably, has sparked an our-pitch-their-pitch whataboutery. “I don't mind playing on pitches like this as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and doesn’t complain about Indian pitches,” said Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
This leads us to a pertinent question – who gets the blame?
Perhaps, both, and perhaps, neither.
From the neutral perspective, the Centurion track deserves as much scrutiny as the track in Delhi or Indore did, when Australia toured India last year. But with crucial WTC points at stake, a bid to capitalise on home advantage, to the fullest extent, should not come across as a surprise.
Since 2021, five Test matches have taken less than 1000 deliveries to produce a result. Had this article been written tomorrow, it could easily have been six, for the ongoing third Test between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney is nearing a conclusion, after only 745 deliveries.
Beyond whataboutery, hence, lies the provision for zeroing on a mitigation plan.
The Bleak Future of Test Cricket
The entire narrative of this two-match Test series – making it a ‘series’ being the only reason to play two matches – being of utmost importance for both sides owing to WTC points, was effectively discarded when South Africa announced a second-string squad for the upcoming two-match Test series – yes, there is a pattern – against New Zealand.
What happened to the usual suspects? They will all compete at the SA20 – South Africa’s very own IPL.
The decision, very unsurprisingly, was met with widespread criticism. Former Australian great Steve Waugh even called it the ‘death of Test cricket.’
In defence of the decision, a helpless Shukri Conrad – coach of the South African Test team – said “Our hand has been forced. Everybody understands the SA20 has to happen. SA20 has to happen because it is the lifeblood of South African cricket. If it doesn't happen, we are not going to have Test cricket anyway. We've got to find a way to coexist with the league, we've got to co-exist with leagues around the world to ensure the sustainability of the game.”
India, with their gigantic financial reserves, can afford the luxury of investing in Tests whilst not bothering about profits. Australia and England are among the others who still, at least, care about the format.
But with teams prioritising franchise and limited-overs cricket, the future of Tests looks bleak.
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