Despite getting off to a fantastic start with a win in the first Test in Centurion, the remainder of the tour proved to be a horror show for India. Not only did they lose the Test 2-1, they also got whitewashed in the ODI series and were second to the hosts in almost every department. India failed to salvage pride even in the dead rubber at Newlands in Cape Town and ended up losing by four runs in a tight contest.
It was clear that the ODI team lacked balance, and the bowling unit didn’t carry enough tooth to trouble the Proteas batters. Jasprit Bumrah was the lone exception but unfortunately, nobody else managed to support him with the ball.
Even with the bat, the persistent problem plaguing the Indian middle-order got exposed once again. With KL Rahul deciding to open the innings, there was hardly any depth in the Indian middle-order, and wickets continued to fall one after the other.
Veteran South African bowler Dale Steyn says that India missed Ravindra Jadeja desperately on the tour. Calling him a ‘wonderful cricketer,’ Steyn suggests that the all-rounder would have made a difference with both the bat as well as the ball. However, Jadeja had to miss the tour of South Africa because of a ligament tear.
“They definitely missed somebody like Sir Ravi Jadeja. I just think he is a wonderful cricketer. He can control the game with his left-arm spin. He is brilliant and he can also bat”,
said the Proteas pace icon while speaking on Star Sports.
The veteran speedster also pointed out that the Men in Blue need to fix the issues in the bowling unit as soon as possible. The team needs someone to support Bumrah and the likes of Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar and Prasidh Krishna failed to do that during the ODI series.
Steyn also suggested that Mohammed Siraj looks like an interesting candidate and is one for the future.
“India’s got a bit of a bowling issue. They need somebody to back up Bumrah. They need someone who can bowl in a 140-145km per hour bracket.
Shami is great. He had a long Test series. Siraj looks like a name for the future. I think he’s got a bit of a niggle”,
he said.
