India vs South Africa: Duanne Olivier and other South African players to watch out in Tests

A country that is going through yet another health crisis caused by a fresh surge in COVID infections will look up to its men’s cricket team to bring about some cheer as the Proteas take on India in a three-Test series starting Boxing Day (26 December). Their domestic fixtures might have been affected after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, but Cricket South Africa (CSA) will hope their home Test season goes off without a hitch when the first of the three matches commence at the Supersport Park in Centurion, near Pretoria. World number one Test side India are favourites going into the series, and the Virat Kohli-led visitors are being tipped as the team that can end the country’s wait for a maiden Test series win on South African soil. That makes the upcoming series something of a final frontier for the side that has now won two consecutive Test series in Australia and are 2-1 ahead in the suspended Test series in England. Taking South Africa lightly, however, that too in their own backyard, comes with its own set of risks. The Proteas after all, had clinched the three-Test series with a game to spare the last time India toured four years ago, the series featuring superstars such as AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, all of whom have since called it a day. As we build towards the first Test, we take a closer look at some of the South Africans who could be a major threat for Team India and some relatively unknown names who could make a name for themselves if they are given the opportunity: Duanne Olivier Not too long ago, Olivier had expressed his desire to represent England in Test cricket during his Kolpak stint with Yorkshire . Fate, however, had other plans for the young speedster from Bloemfontein, with Brexit bringing forth a swift end to the controversial Kolpak deals that has since witnessed a number of South Africans, Olivier included, returning to their homeland, making them eligible for national selection once again. [caption id=“attachment_10229891” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Duanne Olivier. AFP[/caption] And come Boxing Day, Olivier will be carrying the hopes of millions of South Africans on his shoulders should he be included as one of the Proteas’ pace options, which looks all the more likely after Anrich Nortje’s injury-forced exit from the series. And Centurion, where the first match will take place, also happens to be the venue where Olivier ran through the batting lineup of another subcontinent side — returning match-winning figures of 6/37 and 5/59 against Pakistan exactly three years ago, which also earned him the Player of the Match award. Kagiso Rabada South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada will surely miss bowling alongside Nortje, with whom he has formed a lethal new-ball pairing ever since the latter broke into the Proteas side in 2019. KG, however, can look to Lungisani Ngidi and the returning Olivier to help unsettle the visiting batters with sheer pace and bounce, and play a key role in South Africa’s pursuit of stopping Kohli and Co. on their tracks after knocking over Australia and England in their backyard. The last time the Proteas played Test cricket, which was in the Caribbean earlier this summer, Rabada was the leading wicket taker (11, average: 11.45), helping the South Africans sweep the Test series 2-0. Given his knack for fiery on-field celebrations and the typical fast bowler’s stare and other forms of aggression, we sure can expect a few run-ins between him and the Indian Test skipper, which will lend a whole lot of drama to the three-match affair. Rassie van der Dussen One of the more versatile batters in the current era, van der Dussen could give India’s Cheteshwar Pujara a run for his money when he gets into the stonewalling mode, and can also shift gears quickly if he’s in the mood to cart bowlers all over the park. He’s also proved handy as someone who can float around the batting order depending on the team’s needs, which, along with his temperament, has made him an asset for the Proteas. [caption id=“attachment_9737071” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of South African batter Rassie Van der Dussen. AFP[/caption] Van der Dussen, who had spent a long time in the sidelines and only got to play Test cricket after he turned 30, had moved to the No 4 position the last time the Proteas donned the whites, which was in their tour of West Indies, with Keegan Petersen at 3, and it is expected that skipper Elgar and head coach Mark Boucher will retain the same combination for the Centurion Test. And should the Bumrah-led bowling unit be able to make early inroads during the South African innings, van der Dussen could prove to be a big hurdle for the world-class Indian attack. Sarel Erwee An opening batter with a lot of domestic experience, Erwee hasn’t quite been able to break into the South African team given the amount of competition for the top-order slots, with Test skipper Elgar and Aiden Markram having cemented their place as the Test openers. Erwee had quite the run in the recent South Africa A-India A unofficial Test series, in which he finished as the top run-getter with 251 runs (average: 50.20; two 50s). That, along with an impressive run in the domestic First-Class tournament, in which he has two centuries in three outings, will hold him in good stead and could lead to an opportunity later in the series in case someone like a Markram fails to get going. Glenton Stuurman With a total international experience of just one T20I, Stuurman is among the relatively new names in the Proteas squad for the Test series. The right-arm seamer, who represents South Western Districts at the domestic level, certainly has made a case for his selection in the series with his impressive returns while representing South Africa A against the touring India A side in the unofficial Tests that took place in the build-up to the upcoming series. In the two matches that he played out of the three unofficial Tests against the Priyank Panchal-led visitors, Stuurman collected seven wickets at an average and strike rate of 27.14 and 36.4 respectively, finishing third in the bowling charts after Navdeep Saini and Lutho Sipamla.