South Africa Must Be Lauded For Their Outstanding Show At Centurion!

South Africa 1-nil up in a 2 match series. That’s first things first.

But anyways, there’s this truth. And truth, usually stings.

In a contest featuring the mighty Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, one of the best fast bowlers in the game and the incredible and record-breaking Virat Kohli, just what chance does the die-hard cricket fan or intrepid observer of the game give to a team that has a Kyle Verreynne, Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi?

Eight in ten, not that they must be hounded or their sense of judgment be put to a test of moral judgment, would have backed India to win the game at Centurion, which they actually lost and lost by an inning and 32 runs.

To many, Cricket is a team-based game, where several individuals achieve statistical delight. But then Cricket is also sometimes an unfriendly, uncooperative and unfair sport in that it hardly or never gives due attention to a side that has bastions of grit in names like Dean Elgar.

A sport that runs on match winning exploits as also on single-minded brilliance sometimes does forget that all of it doesn’t only revolve around a Jasprit Bumrah, regardless of the exemplary Indian bowler being an impactful force in the game.

That the game is also about Kagiso Rabada. On 28 December, 2023, Centurion saw the famed Indian cricket team humbled by a resolute group that played as a strongly-knit unit; not a collection of superstars who are known as much for their runs and wickets but by the sheer number of fanclubs.

A very popular Indian team, a third of which comprised heavy-duty names was crushed by an army of no-nonsense cricketers who don’t seek in Cricket a religion; but a chance to excel.

Dean Elgar, who hardly has die-hard fans who’d tattoo his names on their torso or back grounded the Indian bowling attack courtesy a customary focused 185.

In the very sport where millions of passionate fans consider their Indian idols as the big daddies of the game, Elgar grafted his way to a daddy hundred; yet another in a winning cause. Perhaps a century to relish for the ages in that he’s only one Test away from retirement.

In a contest where Bumrah was supposed to derail the South Africa batsmen, it was Kagiso Rabada who broke the back of an order that has as successful names as it has world-beating ones.

His brilliant, game-changing and eventually, decisive 7 wicket haul spell in the game was enough to turn the tide away from India as South Africa bolstered their position on Day 3 with another 2 left to play.

On a wicket where not one Indian bowler could emerge with a fifer that Rabada, regardless of him playing on home turf, was a firm reminder that the South Africa unit wasn’t in the contest to be attacked. Rather, they took the attack to their far more popular opponents whose exploits are spoken about on social media so recurrently as if not hearing them would earn a school goer a demerit point on next Monday’s unit test exam.

Not that India don’t deserve the applaud; they have made it to the World Test championship final twice in a row while South Africa or England have not made it ever that far. India have commanded praise and earned it rightly so by ruling the charts in events like the Asia Cup 2023. India played a comprehensive brand of cricket in the 2023 ODI World Cup. India have entertained fans as much as they’ve inspired a whole new generation of cricket-watchers.

In support of South Africa

But it is about time that the sport’s broadcasters and its lot of pundits, which also means men tasked to highlight those playing a game of cricket started awarding the same respect to India’s opponents as they do to the men in blue.

How on earth can a South Africa be labelled ‘chokers,’ when India have themselves been guilty of choking twice in the World Test Championship finals and as seen very recently, every time an ODI World Cup event happens, especially in the post 2011-glory era?

Are greats- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma- and they both truly are the only impactful or big names that took the field at Centurion? Are players like Marco Jansen, 84 not out off 147 deliveries, not that important to his team?

Do commentators get a good night’s sleep and eventually, an increased lifespan if they praise only the players from the sub-continent whilst strangely and rather absurdly speaking ever so little about those who are finding their feat in cricket; think Coetzee, don’t discount Nandre Burger?

Why wasn’t the precursor to this Test match shown in a South African light and why was the context especially to us die-hard Indian cricket fans not woven around the challenges that playing in the Protea territory exposes Indians to?

Think the pitch holding itself well on day 2 when little was expected to be of that nature? Why can’t the broadcasters for a change also highlight the efforts of KL Rahul; with much due respect to the king of batting, does every piece of marketing communication of a Test series only have to be about Virat Kohli alone?

As seen very recently, it was Rahul first and Elgar later who neutralised a heavily one-sided narrative that was sculpted around India’s supposed challenge. Not that India can’t or mustn’t comeback in the final game of the series. But won’t things be a tad more balanced if the opponent too is considered?

Well played South Africa. Come back strong India.