India's Test team performance review: Assessing player suitability for a Test position following a clean sweep against SA

Devansh Poddar

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India Test squad report card: Evaluating which players deserve Test spot after a whitewash vs SA image

TL;DR

Team India faces scrutiny after two home Test series losses within a year.
Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Shubman Gill were top performers.
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammad Siraj, Axar Patel, and Rishabh Pant showed room for improvement.
Sai Sudarshan, Dhruv Jurel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy face selection scrutiny for future matches.

Following their ignominious defeat in the two-Test series against South Africa, Team India faces significant scrutiny and discussion regarding the team's future path.

The Men In Blue, once thought to be unbeatable on their home turf, have now experienced two series losses at home within a span of just over twelve months.

Under Gautam Gambhir's leadership, the Indian squad has appeared to lack strategic direction, even when competing on home soil, and has struggled with the mental fortitude required for batting in difficult circumstances.

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Following such losses, alterations are frequently necessitated, and given the World Test Championship Final's importance, stringent selection choices are anticipated, potentially leading to tough calls before India's subsequent Test series in August 2026.

The article features a comprehensive evaluation by AllSportsPeople of every Indian player, classifying them according to their contributions and influence across the entire series.

Performance review of Indian cricketers: India versus South Africa Test matches

Undroppable

1. Jasprit Bumrah - Even in defeats, Bumrah's consistency with the ball remains one of the biggest positives for the Indian side. Bumrah picked up eight wickets in two games this series, at an average of less than 19.

2. Ravindra Jadeja - Jadeja has been India's crisis man for the past couple of years and has on multiple occasions stood as a lone warrior for the side. The ace all-rounder picked up ten wickets in the two games this series and also added 105 runs with the bat, standing out as one of India's top performers in a difficult series.

3. Washington Sundar - Sundar has emerged as India's key performer in Test cricket in the last year. The gritty all-rounder ended the series as India's top run-getter, scoring 124 runs in 4 innings at an average of 31, and looked very calm in pressure situations.

4. Kuldeep Yadav - While he does not get enough chances in Test cricket, Yadav has been prolific for the Indian side whenever he has been presented with an opportunity. The Indian spinner picked up eight wickets in the series and also impressed with his gritty knock of 19 off 134 balls in the first innings of the second Test.

5. Shubman Gill - India's red-ball captain, Shubman Gill, had a very limited role to play in the Test series. Gill batted for just three balls before a neck injury ruled him out of the remainder of the series, and not much can be drawn from his performance. Gill, however, has been in a terrific run of form and would play a crucial role when India tours Sri Lanka in August next year.

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Good, but could be better

1. KL Rahul - After his impressive run in England, the seasoned KL Rahul struggled in the home series. Rahul scored just 68 runs in his four outings against South Africa and would require a lot of improvement, especially playing on pitches that offer turn.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal - One of India's prolific run-getters in the red-ball format, Jaiswal had a very average home series. The opener was largely troubled by the left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, who dismissed him three times in four innings. He ended the series with 83 runs under his name, including a half-century, but has a lot of work to do against the left-arm pacers.

3. Mohammad Siraj - Siraj remains valuable for the Indian Test side, but needs to evolve under Indian conditions. His strike rate tend to go down a bit on Indian pitches, which is potentially an area in which he can improve.

4. Axar Patel - Featured in the first Test and performed decently in the limited chances he got. Axar, however, is often looked at as an attacking option with the ball, but he failed to pick up wickets under helpful conditions in Kolkata.

5. Rishabh Pant - India's stand-in skipper for the second Test, Rishabh Pant, had a miserable series with the bat and also disappointed as the captain in the Guwahati Test. Pant ended the series with just 49 runs in 4 innings and wasn't seen at his fluent best. While Pant's aggressive game style has reaped rewards in limited overs cricket, he needs to add discipline to the mix to score consistently in Tests.

A second opportunity may arise - The concluding audition

1. Sai Sudarshan - Sudarshan was troubled by the spinners on both occasions in the Guwahati Test. He threw away his wicket after spending time on the crease and would need to work on his batting and find ways to score runs on turning wickets.

2. Dhruv Jurel - Jurel was in excellent shape before the South Africa series, playing solely as a batter for India against the Proteas. Nevertheless, the batter only managed 29 runs across four innings in this series and will face scrutiny before India's subsequent Test commitment.

Immediate drop - The reset call

1. Nitish Kumar Reddy - Reddy's role in the Indian Test side has sparked a lot of debate, especially under Gautam Gambhir. While he has been drafted into the side as an all-rounder, he is often underused, both with bat and ball. India should rather focus on playing a specialist batter or a specialist bowler in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy. Reddy scored 10 runs and bowled only 10 overs over two innings in the second Test.

India's next Test series?

In August 2026, Team India is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka for a pair of Test matches. The team's subsequent home series is slated for January-February 2027, featuring a five-Test contest against Australia, which will also serve as the conclusion of their current WTC cycle's Test commitments.