3 things the current Indian team can learn from Centurion Test win in 2021
Team India's Test tours of South Africa have seen more lows than highs, with their most recent innings defeat in the 2023 Boxing Day Test in Centurion being one of the lowest points. However, things were quite different a couple of years back, when the Men in Blue became the only third side to defeat the Proteas at the Super Sport Park in Centurion.
December 30, 2023, marks the second anniversary of the famous 113-run win. India made the brave call to bat first in challenging conditions and the batters responded quite well. They had one of their finest days in South Africa after ending the first day on 274-3, with KL Rahul scoring an exceptional hundred.
With the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami at the height of their prowess, India were able to bowl South Africa out in under 200 across both innings to record a memorable victory and claim a rare series lead on South African soil.
While things did not go smoothly in the remaining two matches of the series, the win in Centurion will live long in the memory.
On the occasion of the second anniversary of the spectacular win, let us take a look at things the current Indian team can learn from the iconic triumph.
#1 Patience
Batting in challenging overseas conditions against a high-quality bowling attack requires the utmost patience and technical ability. The majority of the Indian batters unfortunately lacked both in their innings defeat to South Africa in the first Test of their 2023 tour.
The likes of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer playing their first Test in such alien conditions struggled. While technical ability is not part of the equation at times, if a bowler bowls an unplayable delivery or if the fielder takes a stunning catch. However, the element of patience is expected at the highest level.
The Indian batters arguably did not spend enough time on the pitch to accurately assess the conditions. Only Virat Kohli and KL Rahul played more than 50 deliveries in the first innings as India played out 67.4 overs. In the second time of asking, only Kohli batted for more than 50 deliveries as India were skittled out after just 34.1 overs.
In contrast, the Men in Blue played out 156 overs in the 2021 Centurion Test, including 105.3 overs in the first innings which laid out the foundation for the eventual win.
The likes of Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, and Kohli spent considerable time at the crease as well to help India cross the 300-run mark, which they did not replicate for the rest of the series.
#2 Adapting to the conditions
Even in the absence of Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja, Team India presented the stronger playing XI on paper in 2023. However, it was the hosts who made the most of the conditions to secure the win, while India lagged with both the bat and ball.
All four pacers from the South African side were relatively equally potent, with Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger standing out. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were able to put some pressure, they lacked support from Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur.
Krishna and Thakur were too wayward with their lines and lengths and in general bowled a touch too full, which played right into South Africa's hands.
Even with the bat, instead of grinding it out and looking to survive, the Indian batters seemed to be in a hurry and lost their wickets to needless shots. Right from Rohit Sharma's ill-fated pull in the opening half-hour of the Test to Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer looking to play across the line in the second innings, the pattern was similar.
#3 Body language
The 2023 Indian team, although comprising a lot of the same members from the previous tour, looked like a shadow of themselves on the field. There was a distinct lack of spark and energy, which apart from the technical flaws, played a role in the loss.
Team India's energy levels and body language were largely subdued even at the start of the third day when they still had some say in the proceedings. The poor performance on the field coupled with the hampered state of players allowed the Proteas to claim a mammoth lead without much difficulty.
The poor body language was called out by the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri on air, with the former branding the players as 'listless'.
The 2021 side, on the other hand, were high on spirits and fuelled by aggression. They were relentless on the field, with two key factors being the ever-aggressive Virat Kohli being the captain and the chirping Rishabh Pant donning the gloves behind the stumps.