SA vs IND: Best XI of the Test series

7. Shardul Thakur 

Shardul Thakur, in his short Test career, has been India’s lucky charm. A charm which the Indian team would wish to continue. India, before this series, had never lost a Test match that featured the all-rounder in the playing XI. While the tradition continued with the Men in Blue clinching a historic win in the Boxing Test, things went downhill from thereon as they ended up losing the series 1-2.

Thakur must have had a series to remember. His sensational figures in the second Test left the hosts speechless with each delivery preying a new victim of the South African batting. He overtook Harbhajan Singh to record the best bowling figures (7/61) in an innings among Indian bowlers in South Africa. There is something about his bowling that manages to create a breakthrough for Indians and the Proteas could just hope to play out his overs. Shardul also managed to produce a batting cameo in the second Test with a quick 28 off 24 against his name.

He ended the series as India’s second-highest wicket-taker with 12 scalps while also scoring 59 runs. An all-rounder like him can help any team during different situations like he occasionally did during the season. Shardul Thakur is now the fourth Indian to feature in this list of the combined best XI of the series.