"This loss is going to pinch" - Aakash Chopra says India 'was a much superior team' than South Africa
Aakash Chopra feels Team India's Test series loss to South Africa will hurt badly, as the visitors were a much superior side than the hosts.
India started the series against the Proteas on a positive note, registering a convincing win in the Boxing Day Test. However, they were handed comprehensive defeats in Johannesburg and Cape Town, failing to defend over 200-run targets. That put paid to their hopes of registering a maiden Test series win in South Africa.
Reflecting on the series loss, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Virat Kohli-led side would be a disappointed lot, saying:
"If you do a man-to-man marking with the opposing team, India was a much superior team. You won all the tosses; you allow more than 200 runs to be chased in the fourth innings, that too easily. It means this loss is going to pinch."
While acknowledging that the 2018 series loss had also hurt, the cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that the two sides were almost at par on that occasion. Chopra elaborated:
"We won the first Test, conquered the Centurion fort, but after that loss at the Wanderers, (we) have now lost in Cape Town. The 2018 loss had hurt, but that was a contest between two evenly matched sides. Batting had let us down there also."
The loss against South Africa is certainly a huge blow to Team India. They were the overwhelming favourites coming into the series after their exploits in Australia and England, but were found wanting on South African shores.
"South Africa will have to be praised" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra added that it is rare that Team India go into an overseas series in unfamiliar conditions as the favourites. He observed in this regard, while praising South Africa:
"South Africa will have to be praised because it is a young side. It is a team against whom when you started playing, you felt that you start as favourites. When has it happened last time that you have gone to South Africa, England or Australia, where you said that you are the favourites to win, it happens very rarely."
The 44-year-old spoke highly of the Proteas pulling off a win despite the absence of many experienced players. Chopra explained:
"But that was the case here because Anrich Nortje was not there; Quinton de Kock announces his retirement; it is a very young side where Keegan Petersen has played just two Tests before this, Rassie van der Dussen had not scored too many runs; Markram was already in and out. Your team looked much superior in batting, but it did not happen like that."
Keegan Petersen 🤝 Dean Elgar
South Africa's rocks at the top of the order.
#SAvIND https://t.co/TDbHaEe53m
Aakash Chopra was particularly effusive in his praise for Keegan Petersen and Marco Jansen.
He termed the duo the finds of the series for South Africa. Peterson scored three fifties, and was the Man of the Match in the third Test as well as the Man of the Series. Meanwhile, Jansen, in only his first three Tests, took 19 wickets, finishing one behind top wicket-taker Kagiso Rabada (20).