India vs South Africa: Team Report card -South Africa

Tags: South Africa tour of India, 2015, India, South Africa

Published on: Dec 08, 2015

A look at who rocked and who flopped for South Africa in the Test series.

A look at who rocked and who flopped for South Africa in the Test series.
AB de Villiers (7/10): The extraordinary talent that he is, de Villiers was the only South African batsman to deal with the conditions effectively, to an extent that is. He demonstrated the ability to attack even as the ball was playing all sorts of tricks. Under the circumstances, he finished with credible numbers, 258 runs at an average of 36.85, with two fifties.
Morne Morkel (7/10): The fast bowler was the only other South African to stand up to the challenge. He was probing, ending with nine wickets at an average of 20.66. In the absence of Dale Steyn, he rose to the occasion.
Imran Tahir (6/10): The South African leggie tasted reasonable success, but he was nowhere near as threatening as the Indian slow bowlers, and that was the huge difference. He picked up 14 wickets at an average of 21.35, with one five-for. Under the conditions, more was expected of him.
Simon Harmer (6/10): He did well in the two matches that he played, finishing with 10 wickets at a decent average of 25.40. He troubled the Indian batsmen early in the series, and South Africa clearly missed his services later.
Kyle Abbott (5/10): Abbott got his chances only because of injuries to Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, but he certainly made best use of the same. He five-for at Delhi was impressive, and he finished the series with an average of 17.50.
Dane Piedt (5/10): He played the Delhi Test, and immediately made an impression with a four-for. The effort though came too late in the day. The series was lost, and even Piedt's efforts could not prevent a South African defeat a Kotla.
Dean Elgar (4/10): Opening the innings, he got starts numerous times. But, he clearly wasn't well-equipped to deal with the conditions as his numbers reflected -- 137 runs averaging under 20. His most memorable contribution came with the ball, when he claimed four wickets at Mohali.
Hashim Amla (3/10): So much was expected of the South African captain, but he had a miserable series to round off a horror tour. He did spend a lot of time at the crease, but rarely looked in control -- 118 runs averaging 16.85 says everything.
Faf du Plessis (2/10): If Amla had an atrocious series, words may not do justice to du Plessis' struggles. He was nothing short of a walking wicket. 60 runs averaging under 9, figures that could embarrass even a tail-ender in modern times.
JP Duminy (2/10): Another experienced player who floundered. Duminy managed only 70 runs in three Tests averaging 14. With the ball, he managed just one scalp.
Temba Bavuma (2/10): He played at Delhi, and battled hard for his 56 runs across two innings. A player to be persisted with
.
Dane Vilas, Stiaan van Zyl, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn (1/10): Some featured in only one Test, some in all four, but their impact was minimal.
-- By A Cricket Analyst

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