India tour of South Africa 2022 had a lot in store for the Indians. This tour was considered as India’s best chance to win a test series in South Africa but South Africa spoiled the party. India tour of South Africa 2022 was, however, action-packed and fun-filled. It had some of the best bowling spells on display and also some of the top Indian batting performances. With the series ending unexpectedly for the Indians, here is a look at the 3 things that went wrong for the Indian Cricket Team.
India Tour of South Africa 2022 had Poor Batting by Senior Indian Players:
Senior Indian players like Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli had a poor display with the bat in this series. The first test match saw an Indian victory due to the heroics of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal with the bat. But from the second match onwards, the Indian batting failed to excel. Ajinkya Rahane especially is under immense scrutiny and is likely to make way for Hanuma Vihari or Shreyas Iyer. On the other hand, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara too didn’t have the best of series. Both ended up getting gritty fifties but this doesn’t match their standard of play!
India Tour of South Africa 2022 had Several On-Field Incidents:
At times, there are several incidents on the field that take your attention away from the game, India’s Tour of South Africa 2022 was filled with these. The spat between Rishabh Pant and Rassie Van Der Dussen. An exchange of words between Jasprit Bumrah and Marco Jansen. Not to forget the questionable umpiring decisions or the questionable technology in use to be precise. The Indian cricket team members also complained about the bias of the broadcasters, i.e., SuperSport in showing the hosts superior. All these incidents take the attention of the players away from the game.
Poor Choice of the Playing XI:
Several Indian cricket pundits and analysts complained about the poor choice of playing XI in the India tour of South Africa 2022. The team selection did seem below par as one of the 5 bowling options was always under-bowled. The team heavily relied on the batting abilities of Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur. This move did not pay good dividends. The need for a batsman at number 7 was evident. The number of overs bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin could be bowled by Hanuma Vihari as well.