SA vs IND: Best XI of the Test series
South Africa came back well after losing the opening Test to win the series 2-1.
2. KL Rahul
The 29-year-old opener came into the series with a lot of limelight. From being named as India’s vice-captain for Test series to ending the year as the ODI captain for the ODI series, 2021 ended on a perfect note for KL Rahul.
The first Test at Centurion was a perfect exhibition of classic Test cricket batting by the Indian opener. After India opted to bat first, the opening pair of Rahul and Mayank saw off the new ball and accelerated the innings to put up a fine opening stand of 117 runs. KL did not stop there as he went on to convert his well-built innings into a century, putting India in the driver’s seat for the rest of the match.
The captaincy duties in the second Test with Virat resting didn’t hold back Rahul from continuing his style of play and adding himself to the elite list of players scoring 50s on Test captaincy debut.
Ending the series as India’s highest scorer in the series, Rahul continued to prove his worth as the team’s first-choice opener. Scoring 226 in the six innings and facing the second-highest number of balls this series (545), his judgement outside the off stump left the Proteas bowlers with a lot of work to do. KL Rahul will be the opening partner for Dean Elgar in the combined XI.
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