What is Rohit Sharma’s Test record in South Africa?
Team India captain Rohit Sharma will be back to lead the side when the visitors face South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series, starting at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday, December 26. The Boxing Day Test will be the first time that the 36-year-old will be seen in action since India’s teary-eyed loss in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia.
The Indian skipper stated in the pre-series press conference that he is keen to lead India to a historic victory in the Test series in the Rainbow Nation. If we look at his personal record in Test matches in South Africa, he has played four matches, scoring 123 runs at an average of 15.37. These are not great numbers, and the batter will definitely be keen to improve on his stats.
Rohit played two Tests in South Africa during the 2013-14 series, scoring 45 runs at an average of 11.25. Batting in the middle order back then, he was dismissed for 14 and 6 in the Johannesburg Test. The right-handed batter continued to struggle in Durban as well. He perished for a golden duck to Dale Steyn in the first innings and was trapped lbw by Vernon Philander for 25 in the second innings.
The Indian batter featured in two Tests during the 2017/18 tour of South Africa, scoring 78 runs at an average of 19.50. He was dismissed for 11 and 10 in the first Test in Cape Town, falling to Kagiso Rabada in the first innings and Philander in the second.
In the second Test in Centurion, the Indian star registered scores of 10 and 47. His second innings 47, which came off 74 balls and featured six fours and a six, is Rohit’s highest Test score in South Africa so far. He missed out on a half-century top-edging a hook off Rabada.
Rohit missed out on the 2021-22 Test series in South Africa due to a hamstring injury.
Rohit Sharma’s overall Test record against South Africa
Overall, the 36-year-old has played nine Tests against South Africa, scoring 678 runs at an average of 42.37 with three hundreds.
All his three tons came in the home series in 2019/20 when he hammered 529 runs in three Tests at an average of 132.25.
Rohit scored 176 and 127 in the first Test in Visakhapatnam and then slammed 212 off 255 balls in Ranchi in the third Test of the series. The opening batter’s knock featured 28 fours and six sixes as India registered a thumping innings and 202-run victory.