India were condemned to a second Test series clean sweep at home in just over a year. Here’s how each of their players fared in the two-match series against South Africa.
Yashasvi Jaiswal - 4
2 matches, 83 runs at 20.75, HS: 58, 1 fifty
A half-century in the first innings of the Guwahati Test partly salvaged a poor series for Jaiswal. His two failures in the first Test were compounded by Shubman Gill's injury, which India needed runs from him to cover for.
KL Rahul - 4
2 matches, 68 runs at 17, HS: 39
A disappointing series for KL Rahul, who was the most senior India batter in the series. He got starts in both the first innings of each Test, but was unable to capitalise.
Washington Sundar - 6
2 matches, 124 runs at 31, HS: 48 | 1 wicket at 128, BBI: 1-67
Promoted to No.3 for the Kolkata Test, Sundar was India's top scorer in the first Test. Despite showing resolve, he was pushed down to No.8 for the second Test, but still faced the most deliveries of the India batters in the series. He bowled 49 overs for just the one wicket.
Shubman Gill - N/A
1 match, 4 runs, HS: 4*
Gill’s series lasted just three deliveries as he picked up a neck spasm trying to sweep a delivery from Simon Harmer in Kolkata.
Rishabh Pant - 3
2 matches, 49 runs at 12.25, HS: 27 | Ct: 4, St: 1
A hugely disappointing series for the wicketkeeper-batter. Leading the side in a crucial Guwahati Test, his run tally in the game was under 20, with his first-innings dismissal – charging down the wicket to Marco Jansen – coming in for special scrutiny.
Dhruv Jurel - 2
2 matches, 29 runs at 7.25, HS: 14
Dhruv Jurel entered the series in superb form after hitting back-to-back centuries for India, but didn’t carry that into the senior side. He failed to cross the 15-run mark once in four innings and, on what should have been a batting belter in Guwahati, he scored a combined two runs.
Sai Sudharsan - 3
1 match, 29 runs at 14.50, HS: 15
After being dropped unceremoniously for the first Test, Sudharsan came back for the second after Gill was ruled out. He had the chance to make it count in Guwahati, but could only score a combined 29 runs in two innings.
2nd Test, India vs South Africa
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Ravindra Jadeja - 7
2 matches, 105 runs at 26.25, HS: 54, 1 fifty | 10 wickets at 21.90, BBI: 4-50
The all-rounder scored a fifty in Guwahati but couldn’t take the side through to a draw due to a lack of batting partners. He was India’s top wicket-taker with 10 scalps in two games.
Axar Patel - 5
1 match, 42 runs at 21, HS: 26 | 2 wickets at 28.50, BBI: 1-21
Axar only played the first game, and unsuccessfully tried to take the hosts through in Kolkata in a chase of 124 with a 17-ball 26. He was dropped for Nitish Kumar Reddy for the second game.
Nitish Kumar Reddy - 2
1 match, 10 runs at 5, HS: 10
After making a 3600km round trip between the two Tests to feature for India A, NKR faced just 21 deliveries and bowled 10 overs in Guwahati.
Kuldeep Yadav - 6
2 matches, 26 runs at 6.50, HS: 19 | 8 wickets at 28.62, BBI: 4-115
Kuldeep, surprisingly, faced the third-most deliveries (193) among India batters in the series. With the ball, he could have been more effective in Kolkata on a rank turner.
Mohammed Siraj - 6
2 matches, 6 wickets at 29 BBI: 2-2
Siraj wasn’t as influential as he would have liked to be, and had to bowl 30 overs in the first innings of the Guwahati Test as South Africa piled on the runs.
Jasprit Bumrah - 7
2 matches, 8 wickets at 18.50, BBI: 5-27, 5WI: 1
Despite the India team management's desire to wrap Bumrah in cotton wool with the T20 World Cup coming up next year, he bowled the second-most overs among India bowlers, and just seven deliveries fewer than Kuldeep Yadav. He was the only India bowler to pick up a five-for in the series.
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