India’s tour of South Africa was the first big test for Virat Kohli’s men as they looked to prove their overseas credentials in 2018. After sweeping aside all that came before them at home on their way to the top of the Test rankings, the focus shifted to India’s first major overseas trip before tours of England and Australia later in the year.
They got off to a poor start with defeat in the first Test in Cape Town. When another defeat in Centurion followed that ended all hopes of a series win, the familiar feeling of doom and gloom – as has been the case in many previous overseas tours – surfaced.
Kohli’s selection policies came under fire as the exclusion of Ajinkya Rahane in favour of Rohit Sharma stuck out like a sore thumb. When Bhuvneshwar Kumar was dropped for the second Test, it seemed that Kohli had well and truly lost the plot.
Then came the victory in the final Test on a menacing track at the Wanderers and things started to look up again. Rahane and Bhuvneshwar both played important hands in that win, leading to even more questions about the previous selection policy.
With the tour now over after the completion of the ODIs and T20I series which India won, one can understand importance of the final Test win. The most impressive part of India’s performance – eight wins and four defeats overall – was the manner in which they were attained. Right from the very first ODI, India played a fearless and ruthless brand of cricket, a brand you would associate with the Australian sides of the early 2000s.
India were unstoppable in the limited-overs clashes.
A maiden 50-over series win in South Africa was secured – by a margin of 5-1 – followed by a 2-1 triumph in the T20I series. India looked at home and it was the hosts who looked more like a touring side struggling to keep up.
The biggest factor that made India competitive, both in the Tests and the limited-overs clashes, was a world-class bowling unit, something the side has lacked for long.
Pacers were impressive in the red-ball format, while wrist-spinners grabbed the headlines in the white-ball matches. It was refreshing to see the Indians dismiss South Africa six times in as many innings in the Tests, a feat that deserves special praise.
With Virat Kohli at the peak of his powers and a bowling unit capable of thriving in almost any condition, India will fancy their chances of reaching greater heights when they travel to England and Australia later this year.