An elated South Africa head coach Mark Boucher has showered rich praise on his team after the hosts wrapped up the three-match Test series 2-1 on the fourth day of the series-deciding final Test against India on Friday, January 14, at Newlands, Cape Town.
South Africa won the third and final Test by 7 wickets to win the Test series 2-1 against Team India on Friday, and Boucher ranked the remarkable series victory over the world No. 1 side as one of the best in their history of Test cricket, saying winning back-to-back Tests is pretty incredible.
Boucher said at the post-match media interaction: “To put it into perspective we have lost three tosses. A lot of people, including some of the media, had written us off after day one of the first Test of the series. So, to come back after losing the first Test badly and then to win the second Test and now win the third Test is pretty incredible.”
He added, “It will rank up there -- in the top five must be. Where we've come from, the on-field and off-field stuff... It's good to get some good results. The way the whole Test series was played was hard-fought, some good cricket, it must be up there with some of the best Test series to have played in South Africa.”
South Africa has won 4 Tests of their 6 matches under their new captain Dean Elgar and the head coach was really happy with the way his team is going forward in the traditional format of the game.
Boucher said, “It's certainly something that we can take a lot of confidence from. This team is on a mission, really. We've been through some tough times of late and they have driven in a way that is pretty special. I'm incredibly proud of where they come from in a short period of time and the results are starting to come through now which is fantastic. Our feet are firmly on the ground. We know that we're not the finished product. We've got goals ahead of us. So we will enjoy this win.”
South Africa started from 101/2 on day four and chased down the target with as many as seven wickets in hand against India and the coach said: “These guys deserve it. They've been through a lot together as a unit. So it's just nice to see that. It's a close-knit group of guys. The World Cup was a massive disappointment, although we played some good cricket throughout. It is just something that was really needed in our dressing room to put the hard work in.”
On chasing over 200 in both second and final Test, the head coach said: “It doesn't surprise me because you got Dean Elgar as well who's that sort of character who leads from the front. You've got Temba Bavuma as the vice-captain who is the same fighter with that spirit in him, so you've got two leaders like that who the guys are going to follow.”
He continued, “The guys stood up with regards to their own games as well. To put these things into perspective about where this team is and where the Indian team is... They are probably the best team in world cricket Test-wise at the moment. They've gone over to England, beat England, beat Australia in Australia. So this is something that our boys won't take for granted.”
Boucher said that Keegan Petersen – who finished the Test series as the highest run-getter with 276 runs and the lanky left-arm pacer Marco Jansen – who scalped 19 in 3 Tests – were the finds of the series.
Praising Keegan and Jansen, Boucher said: “You get two youngsters who have just come into the side. Both of them deserve their little spotlights. Keegan probably didn't start off as well in the West Indies as he would have liked. Then he didn't start off too well at the Supersport Park.”
The coach continued, “But he's always shown signs of the player that we are seeing right now. He just stuck to his guns. He's in a good position to have a guy like Dean next to him. He (Dean) really backs him. He's a tough nut and batting at No. 3 in Test cricket, you have got to be tough, you got to know your game, and technically you got to be sound as well.
Hopefully, he just gets better, better, and better. It's a very tough position to play in South Africa in our conditions, batting at No. 3. The way that he's come through the series, I'm at a loss for words. In a big series, against big players and to get the Man of the Series, he fully deserved it.”
Boucher further said of Jansen: “When you lose out a guy like Andre Nortje (hip injury), it was a big loss for us but then you get Marco coming to the side. We are really in a good space at the moment." "A lot of people questioned his selection in the first Test. He didn't start off too well and the media jumped on him a bit, which I thought was quite unfair.”
He continued, “Now when we look at him and probably everyone's looking the same, what a find we've got another addition to our bowling attack. He has a lot of cricket to learn. We find a superstar in him as well. He's only going to get better.”
The head coach further said that the Proteas side has turned the corner after a difficult phase on and off the field.
Boucher signed off by saying, “I believe that we've turned the corner quite a while ago. Our results have been pretty solid over the last six months to a year. We had the chance to try a few players. I think that's starting to come good now because we started to get a depth of cricketers that we can turn to.”
(With PTI Inputs)
