SWOT analysis of South Africa's Test squad to tour India

South Africa begin their campaign in the World Test Championship with a three-match away Test series against the number one ranked team in Test cricket i.e. India. India, on the other hand, beat West Indies in an away series by a margin of 2-0 in a two-match series and are comfortably placed on top of the table in the World Test Championship with 120 points.

South Africa kick off their Test campaign against India at Visakhapatnam in the three-match Test series which begins from 2nd October, 2019. The remaining two Tests will be played at Pune and Ranchi. It is pertinent to note that South Africa have not played a Test match on any of the grounds which are the venues for the three Tests.

Out of 16 Test matches played in India since 1992, South Africa have won five, lost eight and drawn three. South Africa have a considerable record in India considering that visiting teams have struggled to beat India in home conditions in the last couple of decades. In the six Test series between the two nations in India, India have won three, South Africa have triumphed in one and two series have been draws.

South Africa's squad to face India in the series is a young one with only six players having the experience of playing Test cricket in India.

South Africa's Test squad: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Temba Bavuma (Vice Captain), Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada and Heinrich Klaasen.

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Strengths:

Vernon Philander will look to spearhead the South African pace attack

The biggest strength in the South African Test squad is the presence of the pace trio of Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. The trio have tasted success against India in South Africa in Tests and will look to replicate their performances in India too.

It will be interesting to see the types of pitches which will be used in the three-match Test series and whether there will be any assistance for pace bowlers. The last time South Africa toured India, the series was dominated by spin bowlers with little success for the pacers.

However, Philander, Rabada and Ngidi are skillful bowlers and will look to rely on their pace, swing and reverse swing to taste success against India.

Philander had a very successful series against India in early 2018 in South Africa and picked up 15 wickets in the four-match Test series at an impressive average of 15.87. Philander, has played a solitary Test in India in which he picked up 3 wickets in the year 2015. All in all, Philander has picked up 28 Test wickets against India in six Tests at an average of 18.82. Philander, has been playing Test cricket for around eight years and will look to spearhead the pace attack following the retirement of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

South Africa's premier pace bowler Kagiso Rabada too has tasted success against India. In 6 Tests against India, the pacer has bagged 17 wickets at an average of 24.41. The biggest asset of Rabada is his pace by which he will look to unsettle the Indian openers and will try to expose the middle-order to the new ball. Rabada did not have a good outing in the year 2015 when South Africa toured India and picked up just two wickets in the three- match Test series. The pacer will look to improve his record in India and pick up more wickets.

Ngidi rattled the Indian batting with his pace bowling in the last Test series between the two nations in South Africa. In two Tests, the pacer picked up 9 wickets at an average of 17.22 and was named the Man of the Match in his debut Test at Centurion.

Their contribution will be vital if South Africa have any chance of succeeding in the three match Test series.

Kagiso Rabada.

Weaknesses:

Faf du Plessis averages 8.57 in Tests in India.

The South African team is an inexperienced outfit and out of the 15-member squad, only six have played Test cricket. The skipper Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar have played 4 Tests each in India, Rabada has played three and Temba Bavuma, Philander and DanePiedt have just played one Test each.

The batting unit seems to be a weak once without the presence of Hashim Amla who announced his retirement from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup.

Hashim Amla has called time on his international career.

Faf du Plessis had a horrid time in India in 2015 and in four Tests and seven innings, the South African skipper scored just 60 runs at an average of 8.57 with three ducks. Dean Elgar too had a difficult time and in 7 innings in India, the opener scored 137 runs at an average of 19.57. The vice captain Temba Bavuma has played one Test in India and scored 56 runs in two innings. Apart from the said batsmen, none of the batsmen have any experience of playing Test cricket in India and will find it difficult to negotiate the Indian spinners.

Spin will be of vital importance if South Africa have any chance of beating India in India. South Africa have named three spinners in their squad viz Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy and Dane Piedt. It is very unlikely that the South African spinners will trouble the strong Indian batting line-up. Piedt averages 36.04 in seven Tests, Maharaj averages 28.45 in 25 Tests whereas Muthusamy is yet to make his debut in Test cricket.

Thus expereinced batsmen and the absence of a world class spinner will be the biggest weaknesses of South Africa in the 3 match Test series.

Keshav Maharaj.

Opportunites:

De Kock will look to improve his record against India in Tests

The Test series will be a perfect opportunity for young South African batsmen to make their mark in international cricket.

Aiden Markram has played 17 Tests and in 31 innings he has scored 1358 runs at an average of 43. 81. It has been around two years since Markram made his debut and he will look to make the opening position his own in Test cricket.

Aiden Markram.

Quinton de Kock has scored 2398 Test runs at an average of 39.31 with five centuries and four half-centuries. However, the wicket keeper batsman has failed to score runs against India in Test matches. In six innings against India in Tests in South Africa, the wicket-keeper has scored 71 runs at an average of 11.83. He is yet to play a Test in India. The three-match Test series will be the perfect opportunity for de Kock to impress the selectors.

The retirement of Hashim Amla has left a big void in the middle order and Zubayr Hamza will look to grab the opportunity of batting in the middle order with both hands. Hamza made his debut against Pakistan early this year and scored 41 runs in the Test. Hamza averages 62.26 in 91 First-Class innings and will look to score runs on the international stage.

The series is a perfect opportunity for young South African batsmen to consolidate their positions in the middle order and there will be no better place to score runs than in India in the three-match Test series.

Zubayr Hamza is a talent to watch out for.

Threats:

The Proteas will have to look beyond Dale Steyn.

2019 has not been an ideal year for South Africa. The roteas finished 7th in the points table in the 2019 World Cup. Sri Lanka beat South Africa in South Africa by a margin of 2-0 in the two- match Test series early this year. The likes of Dale Steyn and Amla have announced their retirement from Test cricket.

Jasprit Bumrah is in the form of his life.

The South African team will have a tough time touring India. India have lost just on series at home in the last seven years. South Africa were thrashed 3-0 in the four-match Test series during their last tour of India. It will be difficult for the young and inexperienced South African batsmen to score big runs against the likes of Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Spin will play a vital role in the Tests and the South African batsmen will have to find a way to negotiate the Indian spinners.

The Indian batting is a strong one comprising of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari and South African spinners will have to get through the Indian middle-order quickly. If the spinners fail to back up the pace bowlers, Indian batsmen will score big.

The series promises to be an exciting one with the hosts starting as favourites, However, if South Africa bat well in the series, they have got the fast bowlers to win them matches. The fight for the vital 120 points will be reflected in the three match Test series with both teams looking to pocket points early in the World Test Championship.

Hanuma Vihari is coming into his own in Test crticket.