South Africa vs India 2018: 5 reasons why India lost the Test series

India's tour of South Africa went from bad to worse. South Africa beat India at the Centurion by 135 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Earlier, India lost the first Test at Cape Town by 72 runs.

With only 7 wickets in hand, India needed 252 runs on day 5 to level the series 1-1. Parthiv Patel and Rohit Sharma started the proceedings for India on day 5 but the visitors could only add 116 runs and were all out for 151. South Africa won the game by 135 runs and with it, the series as well. Lungi Ngidi was the star of the show for South Africa with 6 wickets in the fourth innings.

With 1 match remaining in the series, India will have to play for pride and avoid a washout. The third Test starts at Johannesburg on 24th of January and Virat Kohli has less than a week to turn things around.

On that note, let's take a look at the reasons why India lost the Test series:

#5 Dropped catches and poor running between the wickets

It is needless to say, "catches win matches", and yet, it seems like, the Indian team did not understand the importance of this. In a game of low scores, more often than not, the result is decided by one or two missed opportunities.

This was the case in the first Test at Cape Town. South Africa's Keshav Maharaj was dropped on 0 in the first innings of the first Test and the Proteas spinner went on to make a handy 35. In the third innings of the same Test, Elgar was dropped by Shami on 0 and the opener went on to make a useful 25. Those 60 runs were the difference between the two teams at Cape Town.

The second Test was even worse. Parthiv Patel dropped a couple of good chances created by Ashwin during South Africa's first innings. Parthiv was the culprit again in the Proteas' second innings as he failed to react to an easy opportunity produced by Jasprit Bumrah.

Also, the running between the wickets by India was dismal. India's best batsman was run out in both innings, and Hardik Pandya made a schoolboy error. Overall, it was a poor display by India at both Cape Town and Centurion.

#4 Team selection

Failed yet again

When selectors named Rahane as the vice-captain, he was expected to start the game at Cape Town. It surprised many when the Indian XI for the first Test was announced. There was no KL Rahul or Ajinkya Rahane in the team. Shikhar Dhawan was selected to open with Murali Vijay, and Rohit Sharma was preferred over vice-captain Rahane.

Rahane's averages in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and England were 69.67, 54, 57, and 33.22 respectively, whereas Rohit's average was 11.25,40.66, 17, and 28.33. Rahane was the most successful Indian batsman in the overseas conditions for the last 2 to 3 years whereas Rohit Sharma clearly struggled outside of the subcontinent.

Going by current form backfired on Virat Kohli. Also, Dhawan's selection ahead of KL Rahul in the first Test was a poor choice by the Indian captain.

#3 Faf du Plessis' captaincy and South Africa's fielding

Faf led the way for South Africa

South Africa's fielding was one of the key factors in their series win. They were brilliant in the slip cordon and in the outfield. Even their pace bowlers put in an extra effort in the field and the catch of Parthiv Patel by Morne Morkel shows their desire and hunger for a series win.

AB de Villers was sensational on the field throughout the series. His run out of Cheteshwar Pujara in the fourth innings of the second Test was simply outstanding. In the same innings, he took a blinder to dismiss the well-settled Rohit Sharma. He also took a stunner from third slip to dismiss Murali Vijay in the fourth innings of the first Test.

Faf du Plessis' captaincy deserves a special mention here. His field set to dismiss Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma in the Centurion Test was brilliant. His bowling changes were very effective and he never gave a moment of peace to the Indian batsmen.

#2 No solid partnerships

Lack of partnerships proved costly for India

Partnerships are the key to winning matches. The Indians were undone in the first Test by the partnership of AB de Villers and Faf du Plessis. The pair took the game away from India after a brilliant start by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

On the other hand, India's highest partnership of the Test series was between their no.7 and no.8 (Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya). They made 99 runs in the first innings of the first test at Cape Town. Apart from that, India made only three 50+ partnerships in the first two Tests and most of them involved their lower order batsmen.

Lack of partnerships was one of the key factors in India's poor performance. Kohli & Co. never had momentum and South Africa was in control of the series most of the time.

#1 Lack of preparation

Poor Scheduling by the BCCI

The Indian team was playing in the T20Is against Sri Lanka only a week before the start of the first Test at Cape Town. Though Virat Kohli was rested for the tour, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were involved in the ODIs and T20Is

South Africa is always a tough place to tour and it needs a lot of preparation. India did not play outside of the subcontinent in 2017 and went into an all-important series without playing a warm-up match. India have been been outplayed in the first two Tests and their lack of preparation was clearly evident, especially in the batting department.

When asked about the defeat, former Indian cricket team skipper Bishan Singh Bedi said,“There was no preparation. We wasted our time with the Sri Lankans. There was no sense in playing a weak team for one and a half month when we should be preparing for South Africa.”