India vs South Africa 2015, T20I series: Marks out of 10 for Proteas

South Africa turned the tide in their favour after a brilliant overall display in the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series against India. With the third match at Eden Gardens being abandoned, South Africa claimed the series by 2-0 and gave a testament of their consistency across every format on any soil. While the likes of JP Duminy, Kyle Abbott, and Kagiso Rabada enhanced their reputations after a prolific run in the T20Is, a few others did not live up to their potential. Suraj Choudhari checks their performance and rates them accordingly, from descending order of points.

1. JP Duminy, 9/10: ‘Elegance personified’ defines the South African southpaw appropriately. He was undoubtedly the man for South Africa in the entire T20I series. Duminy played the entire series with unmatched confidence. He snatched an implausible victory from India’s jaws and turned the game on its head in the last five overs of the first T20I. In the second game he played a contrasting but equally critical knock and anchored the South African innings with an unbeaten 30. READ: Rohit Sharma, JP Duminy set tone for historic tour, feels VVS Laxman

2. Kyle Abbott, 8.5/10: In the absence of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel the onus was on Abbott to lead the South African pace attack, which he did with perfection. Abbott was the standout performer with the ball in the first game as he claimed two wickets and gave away just 29 runs on a wicket which had nothing for the bowlers. He continued to bowl well in the second match too.

3. AB de Villiers, 8/10: Modern cricket’s most versatile batsman, de Villiers provided a much-needed start on both the occasions. In the first game he took the attack to the opposition and came out all guns blazing when the Proteas were chasing 200. The momentum that was built with his magnificent half-century was further capitalized by Duminy and Farhaan Behardien. In the second game too, he started off on a promising note but his weaknesses against the slower deliveries early on in the innings took a toll of him. Apart from his batting skills, he was excellent behind the stumps as well.

4. Albie Morkel, 8/10: The South African all-rounder grabbed the golden opportunity with both hands and made it count with a captivating bowling display in the second game. He stuck to his guns and bowled to his strength, picking up three key wickets in a Man of the Match performance that helped his side restrict India to a paltry score of 92. READ: Has overconfident India taken South Africa lightly?

5. Kagiso Rabada, 8/10: The young right-arm pace bowler continued to impress with his tidy line and length. He was economical with the ball further keeping the batsmen under check. In the first game at Dharamsala, he was very economical before Rohit Sharma took for cleaners in the third over of his spell. He was effective with the new ball and parched the Indian batsmen for runs in the death overs too.

6. Faf du Plessis, 6.5/10: Though du Plessis didn’t have a good run in the T20I series, his leadership skills were commendable. He marshalled his troops brilliantly and was aggressive in his approach. He failed with the bat in the first game but got a decent start in the second one at Cuttack before falling into Ashwin’s trap. One took note of his wily captaincy in the second encounter where he kept attacking and never let the momentum drift.

7. Imran Tahir, 6.5/10: The leader of South Africa’s spin attack let them down in the first game, but made a strong comeback in the second match. Tahir was taken for cleaners and remained wicketless at Dharamsala, but defied all odds and bounced back emphatically at Cuttack with his guile. He bowled economically and claimed a couple of wickets including the prize wicket of Suresh Raina which ultimately proved to be the final nail in India’s coffin.

8. Hashim Amla, 5.5/10: Amla, along with de Villiers, built the desired platform at the top in the first T20I before falling short of his ground in a bid to earn a second run. His innings in the second game was cut short when he flicked one into the hands of Rohit Sharma off Ravichandran Ashwin. He demonstrated the potential to excel in T20s with his knock of 36 in the first encounter.

9. Marchant de Lange, 3.5/10: De Lange squandered a golden opportunity to reserve his spot in the national side. He was erratic and did not bowl to the expectations in the first game. A dismal performance led to his exclusion from the send game and chiselled the path for Morkel, who made the utmost use of it.

10. David Miller, 7/10: Miller didn’t get enough opportunities to showcase his destructible batting talent in the star-studded South African line-up, but was a livewire on the field and accounted for the ever-important Rohit Sharma with a direct hit from point in the second game. This was the turning point of the game as Rohit was fresh from a century. Miller also scored an unbeaten 10 and ensured a safe victory at Cuttack.

11. Farhaan Behardien, 6.5/10: Behardien was the silent contributor and played an equally important innings in the first clash with Duminy. He kept rotating the strike and hit those massive sixes whenever a loose delivery was offered to him. He lived up to his reputation but failed in the second game at the brink of an iconic victory.

12. Chris Morris, 6/10: Morris was among the wickets in both games, but leaked too many runs in the first one. He bowled well in the second game and drew first blood in the form of Shikhar Dhawan’s wicket. He possesses immense potential, but still has a long way to go.

(Suraj Choudhari is a reporter with Criclife and CricketCountry. He is an avid follower of the game, and plays the sport at club level. He has a radical understanding about the subtle nuances and intricacies of cricket, and tries to express it through paper and pen.)