Following a successful run in the limited-overs fixtures in the ‘Gandhi-Mandela’ series so far, South Africa now take on India in the last leg of their marathon tour 72-day tour — the four-match Test series which begins on Thursday, November 5. There have been several noteworthy individual performances to talk of from the South African camp, but one particular member is yet to make a mark in the series. Amit Banerjee feels the Test series is the right time for South African skipper Hashim Amla to make his presence felt in the series. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs South Africa 2015, 1st Test at Mohali
The South Africans have accomplished what few touring parties to India have in the past — thwart the hosts in their own game at their own backyard. The Proteas owned the ‘Men-in-Blue’ in the Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) 2-0. They managed to end an exciting One-Day International (ODI) series with a lop-sided 214-run victory. Aside from the series wins, they have had some brilliant individual performances to boast of, especially from the likes of AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada, etc.
One man however, has been surprisingly silent with the bat so far, someone who is known to be one of the most technically sound batsmen not only in his side but across the globe. Someone who has had incredible feats to speak of with the bat, including averages of more than 50 in both Tests and one-dayers to accumulate more than 6,000 runs in both formats. READ: Five South African players to watch out for in upcoming Tests vs India
The person in question happens to be Hashim Amla. For someone who has been one of the most consistent batsmen in the recent years, a lot was expected from Amla in the limited-overs in the opening slot. What eventually unfolded over the last few matches was Amla either getting dismissed cheaply early in the innings, or losing his wicket after getting off to a good start, as was the case in the final one-dayer in Mumbai.
It is therefore imperative for Amla to boost his performances in the upcoming Tests in order to assert his relevance as a leading South African batsman. For someone who has an incredible average of 102 in India with four centuries, including an unbeaten 253 in Nagpur in 2010, one is bound to have great expectations in the five-day format. While the pressure of captaincy would be an understood factor, Amla is believed to have excelled with the bat even while leading his side — having scored 556 runs in the eight Tests that he has captained so far at an average of 69.50.
While there are several other members of the South African squad who will be expected to put the Indian attack to test, Amla’s return to the batting form that he is so well-known for will only make the South Africans more indomitable in their pursuit of ending the Indian tour of India on an unbeaten note.
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(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle@akb287)
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