Former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra reckons that India’s Test series defeat to South Africa will be difficult to digest for the Indian team as they were a much superior side to the hosts and deemed as favorites to win. South Africa completed seven-wicket wins in the last two Tests in Johannesburg and Cape Town, having come into the contest against number one ranked India as underdogs gave their relative level of inexperience.
The result means India is still in search of a first Test series victory in the rainbow nation, having had high hopes when they won the opening match. The teams will now play three ODIs starting in Paarl on Wednesday.
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Talking about the series loss, Aakash Chopra said, “If you do a man-to-man marking with the opposing team, India was a much superior team. You won all the tosses; you allow more than 200 runs to be chased in the fourth innings, that too easily. It means this loss is going to pinch. We won the first Test, conquered the Centurion fort, but after that loss at the Wanderers, (we) have now lost in Cape Town. Batting had let us down there also.”
Aakash Chopra further said that it is rare that Team India heads into an overseas series in unfamiliar conditions as the favorites.
Elaborating the same, Aakash Chopra said, “South Africa will have to be praised because it is a young side. It is a team against whom when you started playing, you felt that you start as favorites. When has it happened last time that you have gone to South Africa, England or Australia, where you said that you are the favorites to win, it happens very rarely.”
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He further elaborated, “But that was the case here because Anrich Nortje was not there; Quinton de Kock announces his retirement; it is a very young side where Keegan Petersen has played just two Tests before this, Rassie van der Dussen had not scored too many runs; Markram was already in and out. Your team looked much superior in batting, but it did not happen like that.”
