In Stats: Ashwin’s Record in SA Series, Virat’s Captaincy and More

Take a look at R Ashwin’s performance in the series against South Africa, Virat’s captaincy and more through numbers.

• Statistician Arun Goplakrishnan takes a look at the effect of the India-South Africa Test series on numbers.
  
• He gives a deep insight about Virat Kohli’s captaincy and the performance of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

For all the talk of India dishing out poor pitches, one should read closely into India’s margin of victories in the three Test matches: 108 runs in Mohali, 124 runs in Nagpur and a whopping 337 runs in the final Test at Delhi. The margin of victory in the three Test matches just helps establish that South Africa were found to be woefully inadequate when it came to tackling Indian conditions and were brutally exposed.

There’s no denying the conditions were challenging, but isn’t that the essence of playing Test cricket? Both teams played on the same surface, but where the South Africans caved in – in the mind and on the field, the Indian team countered the challenge and found performers.

The conditions were there for the taking, and Ravichandran Ashwin made the most of the help from the surfaces. To the extent that he imposed himself on the visitors and returned with his career best series haul. Among the 16 South Africans who competed in the four Tests, only Vernon Philander and Dane Piedt did not get dismissed at the hands of Ashwin. The off-spinner finished the series with incredible figures: 31 wickets, which included four 5-wicket hauls, at an average of 11.12.

On surfaces which offer a bit of assistance, it can be very easy for bowlers to become restless and impatient. But Ashwin displayed a very good temperament, often sticking to his discipline and working ways to dismiss the batsman rather than experiment things. There is a lot needed to succeed on such helpful surfaces, and the South Africans clearly lacked the skill, discipline and temperament among other virtues.

The numbers in the table above clearly illustrate that Ashwin was a far superior force in the series. The three specialist spinners South Africa employed in the series – Imran Tahir, Simon Harmer and Dane Piedt – bowled several overs more than Ashwin did, but ended with three fewer quicks than Ashwin managed.

Comebacks into the national team can often be difficult. And after staging a comeback, the spotlight will be on the returning player to see if he deserves his chance. Ravindra Jadeja, playing for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy, picked up 38 wickets in four matches to force his way into the Indian Test team. He proved to be the perfect foil for Ashwin, thanks to the combination of his deceptive bowling action and pinpoint accuracy.

Jadeja’s figures in the final innings of the series were representative of what he has to offer; he bowled a marathon spell of 46 overs, 33 of which were maiden overs (17 of them at a stretch), and gave India the most important breakthrough on the final day – the wicket of Hashim Amla, which opened the floodgates.

In each of India’s three wins in the series, Jadeja made an important contribution with the bat too; 38 in the first innings in Mohali, 34 in the first innings in Nagpur and 24 in the first innings in Delhi. On the surfaces we’ve played this series on, these runs are worth their weight in gold and equate to 50 or 60 on normal placid tracks. On the basis of this performance, no more questions can be asked about Jadeja’s place in the team.

The biggest gain of the series for India must be the arrival of Virat Kohli as Test captain. Though Virat has had plenty of success as captain in other formats, captaining one’s team in a home Test series comes with its own set of pressures; the wickets are to your liking and you are expected to win, the crowd is rooting for you and every move made is dissected by pundits and by the man in the tea shop. After beginning the series with a few questionable calls, Virat thereafter got the bulk of his decisions spot on. He generally had Ashwin and Jadeja bowling in tandem, a pair which brought him plenty of wickets, and even used the quick bowlers very smartly.

The body language of the captain is very important, and on this front Virat was outstanding – always looking for the kill and the opportunity to nail down the opponent. On the final day of the series, he was patient when the South Africans were stonewalling everything that came their way. He kept all his bowlers involved and even didn’t shy away from using the non-regular bowlers to unsettle the batsmen.

It was very heartening to see him use Umesh Yadav extensively in the final innings after the pacer started to generate discerning bounce from the surface. Given how the series has panned out, most captains would have backed their spinners to get them wickets. Virat made the decision of giving Umesh Yadav an extended spell and the fast bowler repaid the faith by running through the lower order.

The era of Virat Kohli as Indian captain has well and truly begun!