India Tour of South Africa: Pujara-Rahane farewell, Rahul's captaincy is a mystery! What's the squeeze of the African tour?
Indian team's tour of South Africa is over. The Indian team started the tour with a memorable victory in the Centurion Test. But, after that the Indian players could not click as a team.
India Tour of South Africa: Indian team's tour of South Africa is over. The Indian team started the tour with a memorable victory in the Centurion Test. But after that the Indian players could not click as a team. As a result, India suffered a humiliating defeat in the ODI series along with the remaining two Test matches.
Overall, the squeeze of the tour is that now many questions will be in front of the team management for introspection. Even before leaving for this tour, there were indications that all was not going to be all right, when the then Test captain Virat Kohli had a tussle with the top BCCI officials.
Tough times for Kohli!
Virat Kohli may not believe it, but after relinquishing the captaincy in two of the three formats and getting sacked in ODIs, he is going through the toughest phase as a cricketer. Kohli played some good innings on the tour. He scored 79 runs in the third Test held in Cape Town, where he was seen in quite touch. After this, he scored two half-centuries in the ODI series as well, but the wait for his century is still going on.
After this, he scored two half-centuries in the ODI series as well, but the wait for his century is still going on. Comments on broadcasters about DRS in his last match as captain in the Cape Town Test have also tarnished his reputation.
Rahul's captaincy flop KL Rahul had a great opportunity to prove himself as a captain, but his captaincy proved to be a flop in the Johannesburg Test and ODI series. What would hurt Rahul the most apart from captaincy was his approach in batting.
He was unable to rotate the strike during his innings of 55 runs off 79 balls in the second ODI. After the return of Rohit Sharma, it is certain that if Rahul wants to be included in the plan of ODI cricket, then he will have to bat in the middle order and become a finisher.
A senior BCCI official said about Rahul, 'Did KL Rahul seem like the captain from any point of view.' It is understood that coach Rahul Dravid sees Rahul as a long-term option and that is why he defended his captaincy.
Dravid said, he (Rahul) has done his job well. Captaincy also means getting the best out of your players. There was a lack of balance in the ODI team. He will learn with time.
What next for Rahane-Pujara?
India has lost to a team that is undergoing transformation and whose coach was even accused of racial abuse. The Indian team did not play fearless cricket and did not show any understanding.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane shone in the second innings of the second Test, but could not play positive cricket other than that. Both could not even score 200 runs in six innings and now their career is undoubtedly looking towards the slope. Players like Hanuma Vihari have been waiting for a long time.
Ishant's era is over!
Talking about bowling, keeping Ishant Sharma out is a sign that the team management no longer trusts him. The dependence on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami is increasing. R Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also disappointed. Shreyas Iyer's technical shortcomings were also exposed in front of the short balls.
Shardul-Deepak raises hopes Plus point Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar playing all-round for the Indian team in the tour. Shardul did a great job with the ball as well as the bat throughout the tour. However, Deepak Chahar could play only one match. But in that match he was successful in performing all-round. In view of the upcoming World Cup, these two players have tried to give an option as all-rounders.