Rohit's South Africa Woes: Can He Conquering Rabada and Find Batting Bliss in Cape Town?
Indian skipper's dismal stats, Rabada's dominance, and tips for tackling the Proteas pace ace in the final Test.
Ten innings with just 128 runs at an average of 12.80. That is Rohit Sharma's performance in his five Test matches in South Africa.
A major contributing factor to the depressingly low number of Rohit is Kagiso Rabada.
In six innings on South African soil, the Proteas pacer has dismissed Rohit five times since India's tour in early 2018. Rabada has caused problems for other contemporary greats with his bowling ability, and the pitches in South Africa are difficult enough to make it harder for hitters to get hits.
The ball that Rabada used to dismiss Rohit in the second half of the previous Test match in Centurion was actually an absolute beauty of a delivery that could have easily taken out any other batsman.
Nevertheless, in their crucial second and final Test match in Cape Town, which starts on Wednesday, India needs their captain to perform at the highest level. For that reason, Rohit needs to make sure he finds a way to tackle Rabada. Playing the pull with a little more caution and prudence is one way, particularly if a fielder is positioned in the deep third-man or deep fine-leg area. It's likely that Rabada will try to lure him in again with the pull, which was the reason Rohit was dismissed in the first Centurion innings.
In South Africa, a batter needs to focus on moving forward. Playing from the crease, rather than going forward or back, is a mistake that Asian batters in South Africa have been making for thirty years. Rohit makes this error. Originates from a fear of the quick pace and bounce, former South Africa batsman Daryll Cullinan stated to The Telegraph on Monday.
"Rabada hits his short balls with outstanding follow-up lengths. Therefore, you need to be forward with a strong defense when he gets it fuller. The slower, less buoyant wickets back home allow Indian batters to get away with playing from the crease," said Cullinan, who averaged 44.21 in 70 Test matches.
However, it is anticipated that the wicket in Cape Town will be slightly more batter-friendly, which should provide Rohit with some relief.
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