Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir heaped rich praise on South African batter Keegan Petersen for his heroics in the Test series against India, saying that the right-hander is the future star for the Proteas.
South Africa displayed a sensational performance in the series decider in Cape Town against India to clinch the three-match Test series 2-1.
One of the main architects for hosts was Keegan Petersen. The right-hander finished as the top-scorer in the three-match series with 276 runs to his name, including three half-centuries.
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Petersen played a pivotal role in the series decider with the bat for South Africa. He scored 72 runs in the first innings and then followed it with an 82-run knock in the second innings that helped hosts chase 212 to seal the series. The right-hander was also adjudged Player of the Match in the third Test.
Speaking on Star Sports, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir hailed Keegan Petersen as the future star for South Africa, saying that after the hosts lost Quinton de Kock, his contributions were impressive in the series win.
He added that Petersen was the standout player for South Africa, highlighting that form is important for the player than his reputation as then he can tackle any batting unit.
"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," Gautam Gambhir said.
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Gautam Gambhir further expressed his disappointment, saying that many had hoped Indian batters to set a target of 300-350 runs but they didn’t fulfil the expectations. He pointed out that the visitors crossed the 300-run mark only once in the series.
"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 said.
After the conclusion of the Test series, both the teams will now cross swords against each other in the ODI series, which will kick start from 19th January.
(Star Sports inputs)
