Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Saturday expressed his views on the recently concluded Test series between India and South Africa.
The Proteas side led by Dean Elgar beat India by seven wickets in the series decider at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town and clinched the three-match series 2-1. The series commenced on Boxing Day at Centurion as Kohli’s men kickstarted India’s tour of South Africa with a thumping win by 113 runs. However, South Africa made a clinical comeback by winning at Johannesburg before sealing the series victory with a win at Cape Town.
Gautam Gambhir names Keegan Petersen as the standout player
Meanwhile, during a conversation with Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir mentioned the x-factor in the Proteas squad that dealt with the mid-series retirement of Quinton de Kock. Gambhir hailed 28-year-old Keegan Petersen for his marvellous show in the series and said, “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”.
India’s disappointing performance with the bat
In the meantime, Gambhir also mentioned that India’s batting unit was unable to cross the 300-350 runs mark, and failed to provide the bowlers with enough runs to defend. “We had hoped for a 300-350 total from the Indian batting unit but we didn’t see the batters fulfill the expectations. India managed to cross the 300-run mark only once in the series during the series opener in Centurion,” the former cricketer added.
Keegan Petersen finished as the highest run-scorer
Petersen finished the Test series as the highest run-scorer among both teams after amassing 276 runs in three matches at an average of 46.00. He finished ahead of Proteas skipper Dean Elgar and Indian vice-captain KL Rahul. Elgar and Rahul scored 235 and 226 runs respectively in three matches. Rahul scored 123 runs at Centurion, which has the highest knock on the series.
