‘Among the best Test series played in South Africa’, says coach Boucher

South Africa coach Mark Bouncer rated the come-from-behind 2-1 Test series triumph over a “strong” Indian side among his best victories as a player or a coach.

He said on Friday,“Up there. Among the top five. We did a lot of on-field, off-field work and got the rewards.”

The former wicket-keeper batter said, “It’s been a hard fought series. This must be among the best Test series played in South Africa.”

When asked about the fighting spirit shown by South Africa, Boucher said, “The fight does not surprise me because we have Dean Elgar, that sort of character leading the team.”

Boucher added, “Dean led from the front. Temba Bavuma too is a fighter. So you have two leaders and fighters.”

The Protea coach said many wrote his team off. “We lost three tosses. A lot of people including the media had written us off after day one of the Test series. To come back and win the series is remarkable.”

About the chase here, Boucher said, “Anything full, we cashed on. We batted with intensity. As you saw in the second Test as well, once you get to 50 to 60 runs of the target and you upp the tempo, it’s hard for the opposition to slow down the tempo. “

About Keegan Petersen and Marco Jansen, two finds of the series for South Africa, Boucher observed, “Keegan has always shown signs of the player you are seeing right now. He’s tough. He’s technically sound as well. Batting at No. 3 in the South African conditions is very, very hard.”

Boucher spoke on Jansen. “A lot of people questioned Jansen’s selection in the first Test. We can see the skill set he’s got and the variation that he brings in. Everyone looking at him now says ‘what a find we have got.”