India vs South Africa 2015: Four members of visitors’ squad to watch out for in upcoming Tests
IND vs SA 2015: Four members of visitors' squad to watch out for in upcoming Tests
South Africa face India in the final leg of their marathon tour of India in the first of the four-Test series at Mohali starting Thursday, November 5. Having dominated the hosts for the most of the tour so far, winning the Twenty20 International (T20I) and One-Day International (ODI) series 2-0 and 3-2 respectively, the Proteas will now set their sights at the Test series with the intention of maintaining their clean record in the South Asian country so far. Amit Banerjee lists four South African players for the Indian players as well as for the fans to watch out for in the upcoming series, which are listed below in no specific order. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs South Africa 2015, 1st Test at Mohali
1. Hashim Amla: The mighty ‘Hash’ is yet to make his mark in the current tour, having thrown his wicket away after getting off to good starts on most occasions. While the South African captain is yet to break a string of poor performances that stretches back to the tour of Bangladesh earlier in the summer, Amla’s reputation as a Test specialist is what will make him one of the most talked-about players in the Indian team meetings. While Amla will have the additional pressure of captaining, he will revel on his incredible record in Tests played in India, the statistics of which put his average at an incredible 102. READ: Hashim Amla needs to let his bat talk during India vs South Africa Test series
2. AB de Villiers: ABD will feature in this list across formats, regardless of conditions, such is his ability to tear any bowling attack in the world to pieces. De Villiers has an enviable record of his own in India, both in international matches as well as in Indian Premier League (IPL). Currently in the form of a lifetime, having smashed three centuries in the five-match ODI series including a cyclonic 61-ball 119 in the lopsided series finale, the South African skipper is easily one of the most feared batsmen in the world at the moment, let alone the South African team.
3. Faf du Plessis: The third South African captain (in the T20I format) too was in brilliant form in the recent ODI series with a century and three fifties to his credit, though he got overshadowed by ABD in the list of highest run-getters in the series. Du Plessis, with an impressive Test average of 51.55, has scored 130 runs in the three innings this year at an average of 43. While the upcoming series will be his first Test assignment in India, Faf has done well in similar conditions in the five-day format in the past, averaging 40 and 48 in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively.
4. Dale Steyn: Steyn is one of the few bowlers to have terrorised batsman in all kinds of tracks, from the bouncy tracks of Newlands and WACA to Ahmedabad and Nagpur — where he recorded his career-best figures of 7 for 51 to propel his side to a famous innings win. The South African spearhead struck good form in the recent ODI series, taking 11 wickets to finish as the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Kagiso Rabada. teyn’s accuracy and pace as well as ability to extract bounce in the unlikeliest of conditions will make him a feared entity in the upcoming series, with the Indian top-order wary of the fearsome reputation of Steyn with the new-ball alongside the lanky Morne Morkel, provided the latter remains fit.
(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)