South Africa vs India, 1st Test - South Africa Player Ratings

Team South Africa proved it yet again why they are revered as the masters of their backyard. After being down and out on multiple occasions in the Cape Town Test against the visiting Indian side, the Proteas fire lit back to see them eke out a remarkable win. The win now puts them in a commanding 1-0 position in the 3-match Test series.

In the match, they were jolted early in the first hour of play as they were reduced to 12/3 with the top three back in the hut. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis provided the counter attack to bring them back in the game. They managed to put up a sizeable total in their first innings. In walked the much hyped Indian batsmen, but only to be reduced to 92/7 by the mighty South African bowling lineup.

Late flourish from Hardik Pandya saw India escalate over the 200-run mark. South Africa, in their second innings, saw another slump from 52/0 to 95/7. Yet again, ABD provided some late hitting to take them to 130. They were a bowler short with Dale Steyn ruled out of the game and had only 207 to defend. Vernon Philander rose to the occasion with a six-wicket haul to ensure a 72-run win for the hosts.

Here are the South Africa Player Ratings for the Cape Town Test:

1. Aiden Markram – 3/10

Young opener Aiden Markram arrived in to the competition with a big reputation. He, however, failed to leave an imprint. In the first innings, Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed to trap him lbw with a brilliant inswinger. In the second innings, he looked good for his 34 but ended up throwing his wicket away with an uncalled hook shot off the bowling of Hardik Pandya.

2. Dean Elgar – 2/10

While Aiden Markram had a rough day at the office in the Cape Town Test, his opener partner Dean Elgar did not have a decent outing either. Elgar perished for a duck in the first innings with Bhuvneshwar Kumar accounting for his dismissal. In the second innings, he got a decent 25. However, he could not convert it to a big score.

3. Hashim Amla – 1/10

Veteran batsman Hashim Amla is known as one of the key tormentors for South Africa against India. He has the reputation of hitting big scores. But in the Cape Town Test, the Indian bowlers managed to keep him down in both the innings. He failed to score in double digits in either of the outings and had a forgettable Test match.

4. AB de Villiers – 7.5/10

AB de Villiers was the comeback man for South Africa in the game. AB led the South African counter attack in the first innings. At a stage when Indian bowlers were on top and Bhuvi was bowling in sublime form, AB hit Bhuvi for four boundaries in the same over. He hit a quick 65 off 84 balls to pull South Africa back in to the game. In the second innings, he played another crucial knock of 35 to ensure South Africa’s lead went past 200-mark.

5. Faf du Plessis – 7/10

Skipper Faf du Plessis had a decent game in Cape Town. He got an unplayable delivery in the second innings that saw him perish cheaply. Earlier in the game though, Faf scored a fighting 62 off 104 deliveries and rebuilt the innings along with AB de Villiers after the hosts were reeling on 12/3. Also, he was spot on with his captaincy and set aggressive fields for the Indian batsmen.

6. Quinton de Kock – 6/10

After AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis played fighting knocks to rebuild the South African innings in the first outing, Quinton de Kock added salt to the wounds of the Indian side. He hit a brisk 43 off mere 40 deliveries to keep the scorecard moving thick and fast. QDK failed to repeat his heroics in the second innings though. With the gloves, he was blemish-free behind the stumps.

7. Vernon Philander – 9.5/10

It would not be wrong to quote that Vernon Philander was the star of the show for South Africa. The target of 207 looked achievable and with Dale Steyn ruled out, the propositions only got stronger in the favor of the bIndian side. But Philander had other plans. He tired down the Indian batsmen with accurate lines in his spell.

He ran through Indian batting order, including three wickets in one over, to see the hosts register a big win. He finished with figures of 6/42 – his career best numbers in Test cricket. Earlier in the game, he had scalped 3/33 in the first innings as well. He was rightly adjudged the Player of the Match for his herculean spell.

8. Keshav Maharaj – 7/10

Team India got their first sighting of South African spinner Keshav Maharaj. By the look of things, Maharaj seems to be a very handy all-rounder. The way he played his shots in both the innings showed that he is not a mere tailender. Albeit he got very few overs to bowl in the game, Maharaj contributed to the team’ss cause with scores of 35 and 15 in the two innings.

9. Dale Steyn – 6/10

Pace bowler Dale Steyn has had troubled times in the recent past. It was unfortunate to see being ruled out of the series after having made his comeback in the very same fixture. Before getting a bruised heel, Steyn bowled 17.3 overs with 6 maidens to his name in the first innings. He dismissed Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha. His fans would hope for his speedy recovery now.

10. Morne Morkel – 7/10

The tall South African speedster Morne Morkel had a decent game. However, he would have loved to make things even better for himself in the game. He scalped two wickets in each of the two Indian innings. The biggest scalp that he got was of the Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the first innings. He dismissed Kohli on the very first ball that he bowled in the match.

11. Kagiso Rabada – 8/10

Kagiso Rabada has the ability to wear down the opposition with his sheer pace. He was one of the top performers for South Africa in the match. Rabada scalped 3/34 in the first innings, that included the big wicket of Hardik Pandya who was threatening to take the game away from the hosts. Skipper Faf du Plessis gave a kiss of relief to Rabada after the dismissal. Rabada dismissed Pandya one more time in the game in the second innings to pretty much seal the fate of the Indian team in the match.

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