With Rohit Sharma preparing to spearhead the Indian team against South Africa in the opening Test match, which takes place at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on December 26, the team is poised for a tremendous comeback. He declared his desire to lead India to a historic series triumph in the Rainbow Nation upon his return to action following the heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2023 World Cup final.
The focus, though, is on Sharma’s dismal past Test results in South Africa, where he averaged 15.37 and only managed to score 123 runs in four games. He admits that these figures require a considerable improvement. In the forthcoming series against South Africa, he will want to lead India to a victorious showing, eager to atone for previous setbacks and take encouragement from his outstanding home series performance.
Looking at his total record both at home and away against South Africa, the Mumbaikar has demonstrated his prowess by scoring 678 runs at an average of 42.37 in nine Test matches, including three hundreds. He was particularly impressive in the 2019–20 home series, when he amassed an incredible 529 runs in three Test matches at an average of 132.25. Throughout that series, he made history with clutch strokes of 176 and 127 in Visakhapatnam and an even more spectacular 212 off 255 balls in Ranchi on Test 3.
Significant disparity between Rohit Sharma South Africa home and away stats
India is preparing for the forthcoming series with a clear recall of Rohit Sharma’s troubles in South Africa during previous Test matches. He had a difficult time in the 2013–14 series, batting in the middle order and managing just 45 runs at a pitiful average of 11.25 over two Tests. During his matches in Johannesburg and Durban, he was dismissed for low scores, giving way to Vernon Philander for leg before wicket and Dale Steyn for a golden duck.
Despite facing difficulties, the India opener scored 78 runs at an average of 19.50 during two Test matches during the 2017–18 tour. While his 47 in the second innings in Centurion, which included six boundaries and six off 74 balls, stood out as his greatest Test performance in South Africa to date, he was dismissed early in Cape Town with scores of 11 and 10. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury kept him out of the 2021–22 Test series, which prevented him from playing.
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