There have been questions amongst some fans about Aiden Markram’s position in the Test side, has it been justified?
The score was 15/1 and after a superb start with co-opener, Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram succumbed to yet another straight delivery. The victorious bowler in this instance was none other than Mohammed Shami.
Shami, bowling in the mid-130s, trapped Markram for another LBW (Leg before wicket). In the Centurion test, Markram was once again attempting to work the ball into the on-side, only to be castled 15 seconds later by a similar Shami delivery.
Markram had a successful 2021, with tours to Pakistan and the West indies. During those tours, he obtained a 100 in Rawalpindi and remains one of the most inspired innings by a South African batter in recent times. Unfortunately, Markram has yet to make an impression in the current Indian series having gone out for paltry scores.
Markram is a seasoned opener who ordinarily takes his craft seriously. He will need to quickly unlearn this particular trait and consider the “old school” tactic of conservation. Leaving specific deliveries and refraining from comfortable, “go-to” strokes should ideally be the order of the day.
As an example, Sachin Tendulkar scored a superb 241 against Australia in an away tour where he batted for over 10 hours and curbed his tendency to play the cover drive because it got him out frequently through the course of that series (Sengupta, 2018).
In fairness to Markram, the delivery from Shami “nipped back” leading to his LBW dismissal. A more circumspect batting approach is required from Makram to withstand the destructive Indian bowling attack.
The opponents set a target of 240 for the hosts to obtain within 2 and a half days, Markram and Elgar, the openers once again were tasked with setting the tone for the fourth-hand final innings. While 240 may seem easy to chase on paper, the reality is that the batting order selected often struggled to get over the line at 200.
Markram in the second innings certainly did not disappoint and commenced his innings with an enthusiastic start. The opener caressed the outfield with three gorgeous cover drives, showing signs of resurgence. Unfortunately, the dismissal of Markram seemed to be an all too familiar sight with yet another LBW.
The victorious bowler in this instance was “Lord” Shardul Thakur, who took his eighth wicket of the test match. Markram, after surviving a series of appeals succumbed to yet another straight delivery (attempting to once again work the ball onto the on side).
With Quinton de Kock’s sudden retirement from Test cricket, Markram along with the remainder of the top six will be tasked with playing proper test innings and taking the challenge to the visitors. At the moment, it appears the Indian team have applied themselves to the challenging wickets provided in South Africa thus far.
We have yet to see a Protea score a hundred during this particular series. It is the view of this particular writer that Markram, while lacking form in recent times is certainly capable of scoring a hundred before the series is concluded in Newlands.
Below is a breakdown of all of Aiden Markram’s scores during his tenure with the Proteas. There remains an ongoing debate on whether to drop Markram down the order and bring in a new opening partnership with the skipper, Dean Elgar.
What do you think? Should Aiden Markram no longer serve as an opener? Should Markram be dropped from the team to find some form elsewhere? Leave your thoughts and comments below.
