India vs South Africa: How the Indians fared in the Test series

Ashwin and Jadeja combined for 54 wickets in the series

Morne Morkel on strike. R Ashwin tossed the ball outside off, the ball straightened and went on to hit the top of off-stump as the close-in fielders jump in joy celebrating the 337 run win over the Proteas in the fourth and final Test of the series, which was eventually won by the hosts. With this, South Africa's 72-day tour to India came to an end with the visitors winning the T20s and ODIs and India taking the bragging rights in the Tests.

This is a series that was dominated by the bowlers with batsmen pitching in with some crucial knocks of 40s and this is very evident by the fact that there were just 2 centuries registered in the series and both of them belong to Ajinkya Rahane. On India’s front, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the heroes backed by some crucial contributions from others. Let's take a look at how the Indians performed in the series.

Murali Vijay 7.5/10

Murali Vijay has been the one who gave India a solid start at the top of the order. He set the tone for India in the series with a 75 in the very first innings of the series at Mohali and went on to score 210 runs in the low scoring series. He looked at ease against the South African spinners and played a vital part in India’s victory in the series.

Shikhar Dhawan 5/10

150 runs in seven innings at an average of 25 per innings. Shikhar Dhawan looked far from his best in the series as he struggled to get going. After getting out on a pair in the first Test, Dhawan got starts as the series went on, but failed to convert them. His final innings at New Delhi is proof of his scratchy form.

Cheteshwar Pujara 7.5/10

Just like Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara has also been an unsung hero for India. 202 runs in 6 innings is not a bad record considering the turn of events in the series. He looked solid and got some crucial 30s apart from scoring 77 in the second innings of the Mohali Test. His weakness was often exposed by the South African bowlers and he will look to improve it before India play the next series. Apart from his batting, he was sharp in the short leg position.

Virat Kohli 7.5/10

The captain of the team. Kohli might have had a below par series by his standards with the bat as he scored only 200 runs in 6 innings at an average of just over 38. But those runs were crucial in this series which had the batsmen on their toes. As a captain, Kohli made the right calls throughout the series and backed his bowlers which helped him to win his first home series as a captain.

Ajinkya Rahane 7/10

The only centurion of the series, Ajinkya Rahane had a memorable fourth Test in which he scored 127 and an unbeaten 100 as he ended up as the leading run-scorer in the series with 262 runs from 6 innings at an average of 53. But before the final test? He was struggling for form as he notched up just 35 runs in 4 innings and that is the reason why he was given just 7 out of a maximum of 10. Once again, he showed why he has the safest of hands in the slip cordon.

Rohit Sharma 4/10

Rohit Sharma might have played his final Test in his career. Once again, Rohit disappointed in the longer format of the game. After getting dropped for the first two Tests, he got his chance in the third test at Nagpur and returned with 26 runs in 4 innings at an average of 6.50.

You can watch highlights of day 5 of the 4th test match between India and South Africa here:

Wriddhiman Saha 7/10

When the wicket turns square, not only the batsmen but also the umpire and the wicket-keeper will find it difficult. Saha had a great series behind the stumps as he backed his bowlers throughout. Even as a batsman, Saha looked solid as he made some crucial contributions that went unnoticed. His 20-odd runs in the second innings of the Mohali Test gave the Indian spinners some comfort to bowl with. Apart from that, he applied some resistance whenever he came out to bat.

Ravindra Jadeja 9/10

The writer’s choice for the Man of the Series. Ravindra Jadeja made a great comeback into the Indian side with a stunning all-round show. With the ball, he was the partner-in-crime for R Ashwin as he finished the series as the second leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets at an average of 10.82, which included 2 five-wicket hauls. He also made a vital contribution with the bat by chipping in with a couple of 30s that had a lot of importance. Hardly put a foot wrong in his comeback series.

R Ashwin 9.5/10

The eventual Man of the Series for his 31 wickets in seven innings at an average of 11.12 which had 4 five-wicket hauls. Ashwin literally had the Proteas batsmen dancing to his tunes. With the bat, he scored a fifty in the fourth Test and allowed Rahane to score his first ton at home and take the score past 300.

Amit Mishra 8/10

Amit Mishra was unlucky to be dropped from the team for two Test matches for balancing the team composition. The leggie might have picked just 7 wickets in the series, but the impact made by those wickets were huge for the team. He backed the spin twins of Ashwin and Jadeja well.

Ishant Sharma 6.5/10

The Indian pace spearhead had a good series with the ball after missing the first Test due to suspension. He has just a wicket to show, but the pressure he created with some consistent bowled helped the spinners to cash in.

Umesh Yadav 7/10

Figures of 21-16-9-3 looked very much unlike Umesh's spell. Till the final innings of the Test, Umesh hardly had anything to contribute as the spinners called the shots. But when given the responsibility, he lived up to the faith the captain had in him.

Varun Aaron 6/10

Aaron played the first two Tests and ended up picking 2 wickets at an average of 36. He also bowled the ball of the series to dismiss Hashim Amla in the first innings of the second test at Bengaluru.

Stuart Binny No Ratings

Played the second Test in which he bowled just three overs and picked up a sensational catch running backwards.