SA vs IND: What went wrong for India in the Cape Town Test ?

After a thrilling three-match Test series, South Africa have managed to win yet another series against India at home. Despite all the resilience and fight displayed by the visitors, they fell short of conquering the rainbow nation in the longest format of the game. Despite getting a lead early on in the Test, the Kohli-led side couldn’t capitalize on it.

The Proteas won the third Test match and thus, bagged the series 2-1. Although a series win at home wouldn’t really be an achievement to boast about. But the fact that it was done by a team going through a transition phase, and that too against one of the best Test teams in the world, truly makes this series win a memorable one.

Besides, the Elgar-led side had lost the first Test and were trailing by 1-0. Nevertheless, consistent performances by Keegan Petersen and Dean Elgar ensured that the hosts make a spectacular comeback. As for the Cape Town Test, it was South Africa’s number three batter who made the difference. After scoring 72 in the first innings, Petersen went on to score a brilliant 82 in the second innings while chasing 212.

Thus, he was awarded the Player of the Match, as well as the Player of the Series . Marco Jansen was another find for the hosts. While he picked seven wickets in the game, Kagiso Rabada picked six wickets to ensure India’s below-par batting performance in both the innings of the Test.

As for India, their batting was disappointing, to say the least, and a batting collapse in the third innings didn’t help their cause either. They were bundled for a modest total of 210. None of their batters were consistent as they kept performing well in patches. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant were the only batters who performed well for the visitors in the Newlands Test. However, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were the major disappointments from the perspective of the hosts and thus, some harsh calls might be taken against them sooner or later.