South Africa tour of India 2019/20

[Bevab]

Why is du Plessis sending in Nortje ahead of himself? He already bats a position too low at 5 with Bavuma who is clearly not as good ahead of him and this move to send a test debutant as a night watchman reeks of poor leadership, especially with eight overs still left.

 

[Bevab]

I cannot remember South Africa being this clueless for a long, long time. Right from the team selection, tactics and play, they have looked completely off colour.

• Nortje over Ngidi is a very strange decision. Ngidi has experience of bowling versus India, played the 'A' tour matches and is more experienced and skillful in general. On the other hand, I wouldn't even rank Nortje as one of the three best pacers in South Africa right now.
• Faf needs to be batting at four, period. Bavuma is best utilized as the player who faces the second new ball and grinds it out, making gritty 50s. He is not going to give you the big scores consistently where as Faf can. Faf is also probably the best player of spin in this current side and shouldn't be batting so low.
  
• Maharaj needs to be stopped using as a bowling machine. Rabada has also not been utilized as the aggressive strike bowler he should be, asking him to be the defensive pacer who doesn't leak runs isn't the optimal way to use him. Muthusamy was an absolute joke with the ball, offers neither the aggressive spin option that Piedt does nor is he useful for long, defensive spells like Maharaj. Maybe learning to not bowl no balls consistently would be a good start for him.
  
• Hamza is one of the best batsmen in South Africa right now and is a quota player too which helps with the selection process. He needs to be made one of the cornerstone players in this new South African team rather than wasting time on the bench while the likes of de Bruyn and Bavuma play ahead of him.

 

[Aalay]

Good to see Kohli back among the runs. The one thing that I have noticed with Kohli is how he has improved his conversion rate in last 3 years in test cricket. Whenever he gets to 50 he makes sure he goes on to make a big score. This guy didn't have a 200 to his name until 2016 even in first class cricket. Now he has 7 in international cricket in last 3 years. We all know he has always been a gun batsman but the ability to bat long and his supreme fitness has elevated his test batting to another level. As someone mentioned before, the way he ran between the wickets with Jadeja was crazy to watch even when he was batting on 230. As I have said many times now, the only person ahead of Kohli in test cricket right now is Smith but if you are looking at a player for every format, I will take Kohli over Smith any day.

Jadeja played an excellent supporting role to Kohli and scored those runs very quickly which helped us reach the score of 600. Good to see Umesh among wickets and Shami looked unplayable in his three overs.

 

[asprin]

Even though India are in a commanding position, it's quite frustrating to see India fail to mop up the tail time and again. When you're getting proper/established batsmen dismissed, I wonder what happens with those who are in the team because of their bowling.

To be fair though, SA seem to possess some good options down the order who a thing or two about batting. Still, very frustrating...

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I feel like South Africa would go past a score where India would look to enforce a follow-on. Probably 100 more runs now.

 

[danielcarrico]

It's been a great bowling performance by India. Shami, Umesh and Ishant should be first choice pace bowlers for foreseeable future. However, we need to be better against the tail.

 

[Master Bates]

It's been a great bowling performance by India. Shami, Umesh and Ishant should be first choice pace bowlers for foreseeable future. However, we need to be better against the tail.

Bumrah: Am I a joke to you?

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Bumrah: Am I a joke to you?

For him it is a Yes.

 

[ParkedTheBus]

I hope Bavuma is at the crease when South Africa lose their last wicket, that would be poetic justice. Through no fault of his own, he has become the poster boy for the death of South African cricket. This should serve as a stark lesson to everyone about what happens when politics is mixed with sport, when meritocracy is set aside to fulfill quotas. This is what happens when your best players (Harmer, Vilas, Abbott and so many more) are forced to ply their trade in other countries due to the threat of not being picked owing to their skin colour.

 

[Bevab]

I hope Bavuma is at the crease when South Africa lose their last wicket, that would be poetic justice. Through no fault of his own, he has become the poster boy for the death of South African cricket. This should serve as a stark lesson to everyone about what happens when politics is mixed with sport, when meritocracy is set aside to fulfill quotas. This is what happens when your best players (Harmer, Vilas, Abbott and so many more) are forced to ply their trade in other countries due to the threat of not being picked owing to their skin colour.

I am no fan of Bavuma and would drop him too, but if the argument is that Bavuma is in the side only because he is black, then is de Bruyn in the same side simply because he is white? Not too sure about those best players either, Abbott was the only one who looked likely to be a first choice without any doubt and he was backed completely after the 2015 WC debacle too. Most of those players left because they saw an easier option to make more money with better career security and not because they were highly talented cricketers not being selected consistently.

 

[Bevab]

A shame that Maharaj is now injured after what has been a poor series for him. Wonder who Faf will use now as the bowling machine as Piedt isn’t going to be of any use as a holding bowler.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

A shame that Maharaj is now injured after what has been a poor series for him. Wonder who Faf will use now as the bowling machine as Piedt isn’t going to be of any use as a holding bowler.

Ngidi to be brought back I guess.

 

[Master Bates]

George Linde will be replacement. I think he will do just fine.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

George Linde will be replacement. I think he will do just fine.

He is having an exciting record. Looking forward to see him.

 

[Bevab]

Ngidi to be brought back I guess.

Ngidi has been struggling with fitness issues over the entire series, bit strange that he was bowling for the 'A' team prior to the tests (in the first-class games rather than List A too) if he wasn't entirely fit. Far worse than the Indian management bowling a clearly unfit Bhuvi and ensuring that he didn't play in the test series, at least he played in an ODI prior to a longer series with a significant gap in between. And if South Africa do go in with Muthusamy as the sole spinner, someone definitely needs to investigate Faf for being high.

As for Linde, his domestic record is impressive and despite his slightly unusual action, he has the subtle variations to thrive. Might be too big of a task for someone coming in fresh off the plane though, as Piedt who was the leading wicket-taker in the Sunfoil Series last year flattered to deceive even after the spin camp and warmup games here.