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South Africa v India 2023/24

Marks out of 10: Player ratings for India after drawing South Africa Test series 1-1

India player ratings vs SA
by Wisden Staff 5 minute read

India came back in Cape Town to level the series 1-1 after a drubbing in Centurion. Here are the player ratings for India following the drawn SA vs IND Test series.

After losing the first match by an innings and 32 runs, India made two changes to their XI in Cape Town and won the shortest completed Test match of all time. Here is how each of the 13 Indians who featured in the series performed.

Rohit Sharma – 5/10

4 innings, 60 runs @ 20, HS: 39

After a terrible outing in Centurion where he managed five runs across innings, Rohit played two important knocks in difficult conditions in Cape Town. He looked to counterattack at the start of both innings, and the quick runs made the difference in the end.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal – 3/10

4 innings, 50 runs @ 12.50, HS: 28

Jaiswal, playing just his second Test series, could not hang around for long in any of his knocks across the series in an attempt to be ultra-aggressive from ball one.

Shubman Gill – 5/10

4 innings, 74 runs @ 18.50, HS: 36

Gill played a couple of attacking cameos but was not able to get a single big score, continuing his struggles in the Test format.

Virat Kohli – 8/10

4 innings, 172 runs @ 43, 1 fifty, HS: 76

Kohli was at his best, navigating extremely tough conditions for batting expertly. His lone hand of 76 in the second innings in Centurion was the highlight of his series, while his first-innings 46 in Cape Town went a long way in ensuring India levelled the series.

Shreyas Iyer – 3/10

4 innings, 41 runs @ 13.66, HS: 31

Iyer struggled against the South African seam attack all through the series. Barring a counterattacking half-century partnership with Virat Kohli on the first morning in Centurion, Iyer didn’t look in much control.

KL Rahul – 6/10

3 innings, 113 runs @ 37.66, 1 hundred, HS: 101

Making a comeback to the Test side and donning the big gloves for the first time in the format, Rahul scored a hundred for the ages in his first knock of the series. While he will be disappointed not to kick on from there, India will be pleased to have a reliable middle-order wicketkeeping option in the absence of Rishabh Pant.

Ravindra Jadeja – 0/10

1 innings, 0 runs @ 0, HS: 0

Jadeja had minimal role to play in the series. He missed the first match due to a spasm. In the second, he did not get a bowl, and fell for a two-ball duck the only time he came out to bat.

R Ashwin – 4/10

1 inning, 1 wicket @ 41, BBI: 1-41
2 innings, 8 runs @ 4, HS: 8

Ashwin played the first Test after Jadeja was ruled out. On unhelpful conditions, he held one end up nicely and did his job with the ball. With the bat, Ashwin didn’t have any impact at No.7.

Shardul Thakur – 2/10

1 inning, 1 wicket @ 101, BBI: 1-101
2 innings, 26 runs @ 13, HS: 24

Thakur played the first game in Centurion and, after making a gritty 24, conceded runs at more than five runs per over and was subsequently benched.

Jasprit Bumrah – 9/10

3 innings, 12 wickets @ 12.91, BBI: 6-61

Bumrah was at his very best and consistently looked like threatening the South African batters at all stages and in every innings he bowled. He finished off with a six-for in the second innings at Cape Town, the venue where he had made his Test debut six years back.

Mohammed Siraj – 7/10

3 innings, 9 wickets @ 15.22, BBI: 6-15

Siraj came into his own in the first innings in Cape Town, picking up six wickets inside 53 balls to rattle South Africa. Having had a disappointing last tour in 2021/22, he would be pleased with his returns this time around.

Prasidh Krishna – 1/10

3 innings, 4 wickets @ 65, BBI: 1-27

Expected to be India’s X-factor with the ball in South Africa, Prasidh was largely ineffective and leaked runs without providing any sort of control.

Mukesh Kumar – 7/10

2 innings, 4 wickets @ 14, BBI: 2-0

Mukesh came into the XI in Cape Town replacing Thakur and had immediate impact. He picked two wickets for no runs in the first innings and followed it up with another two wickets in the second in a nagging, accurate spell.

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