Rohit Sharma and the rest of the Indian batting performance notwithstanding, it was the bowling unit that won the day
During a commentary soon after India asked South Africa’s cricket team to follow-on, Graeme Smith, the former captain of the Proteas, said that the South African team would have “chewed off their arm” for pitches like the ones the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) prepared during the three-match series. The matches in Visakhapatnam, Pune and Ranchi have all been played on competitive pitches and cannot in any way be described as sub-continental dust-bowls that favoured the home side. The shutout we achieved against South Africa is in part due to the sublime batting by India’s top order, which included Rohit Sharma, who resurrected into the red-ball side as an opener. He chewed up South Africa’s bowlers and when he did not, others, including Virat Kohli, stepped into the breach to fire away. Sharma has now clearly re-established himself in the Test side, although he will face sterner challenges on foreign pitches. It’s another matter that India will not play any away Test until February when the team tours New Zealand. South Africa’s bowlers failed to get all of India’s wickets in every attempt. Only its young fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, will leave India with his reputation enhanced. And just as limp as the South Africans were with the ball, they were equally flaccid with the bat. What must really be complimented is India’s amazing fast-bowling attack, which was the difference between the two teams. Amazingly, the fast bowlers destroyed the Proteas lacking their “best” bowler in Jasprit Bumrah but unusually for pitches in India, they were aided by the wicket and they all delivered. India can pick and choose its best bowlers according to the conditions and even give bowlers a break to recuperate, the situation being that good right now. Some might have even argued that the third Test in Ranchi might have been an opportunity to blood in some fresh talent during a dead rubber.
However, with Kohli wanting to make a point by winning the inaugural World Test Championship, he thankfully did not lift his foot off the pedal even though he was playing a side that the Indians had mentally beaten even before a ball was bowled in Ranchi. The disappointment of losing the semi-finals of the World Cup in England has been forgotten and things look extremely positive for Indian cricket currently even though the cricket administration is in a shambles. That is why the recent election of Sourav Ganguly as the BCCI president is a step in the right direction. In fact, the only problem India faces going forward is a potential strike by its next opponent, Bangladesh.