Former Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri has enormous praises for South Africa’s Keegan Petersen, stating that the top-order batter reminds him of legendary Gundappa Viswanath. Petersen, who was adjudged as the ‘Player of the Series’, played a crucial role in South Africa’s 2-1 series win against India. Despite trailing 1-0, the Proteas managed to make a strong comeback on the back of disciplined batting performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
While the cameos from captain Dean Elgar and his deputy, Temba Bavuma acted as the booster for the hosts, it was Petersen who carried most of the responsibilities on his shoulders. Playing in just the 2nd Test series of his career, Peterson looked pretty solid with his bat. He ended the series as the highest scorer; with 276 runs to his credit.
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Shastri on Friday took to Twitter and heaped rich praise on the 28-year-old South African batter. Tweeting about Petersen, Ravi Shastri wrote: “Keegan Peterson (KP). Excellent initials (@KP24). A great world player in the making. My childhood hero Gundappa Vishwanath comes to mind #SAvIND.”
Keegan Peterson (KP). Excellent initials (@KP24). A great world player in the making. My childhood hero Gundappa Vishwanath comes to mind #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/6T9SuzN6St
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) January 14, 2022
India opener Gautam Gambhir has heaped rich praise on Keegan Peterson for his consistent performance throughout the 3-match Test series. Speaking with Star Sports, Gambhir highlighted the contribution of Petersen, especially after Quinton de Kock drew curtains on his Test career following the series opener.
Gautam Gambhir explained, “He definitely looks like a future star for South Africa. The Proteas lost De Kock but Petersen’s form and contributions have been impressive in their series win. For me, he was the standout player for the hosts. I think a player’s form is more important than his reputation. In international sport, ultimately, it’s all about form. If your form is good, you can tackle any batting unit.”
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He further added, “Also, you need to give your bowlers enough runs on the board to defend. We had hoped for a 300-350 total from the Indian batting unit but we didn’t see the batters fulfil the expectations. India managed to cross the 300-run mark only once in the series during the series opener in Centurion,” he added.
