Rassie van der Dussen is a domestic cricket legend in South Africa.
Ever since he got his international cap for the Proteas, he has been a class apart in the middle-order.
In an otherwise dismal World Cup, van der Dussen was perhaps the best positive to emerge for the Proteas. He came back with his reputation enhanced, striking 311 runs at an average of over 62.
A T20 veteran who has travelled around the world, van der Dussen has replicated this potency in the longer formats as well. In the subsequent series against England following the 2019 World Cup van der Dussen was again a pillar in the middle-order, but the Proteas lost 3-1.
Skipper Faf du Plessis even identified van der Dussen as a man with the right ingredients for international captaincy. For sure, he is.
With four names circulating for the vacant Test captaincy slot, van der Dussen is miles ahead in terms of temperament and performance. Quinton de Kock may be an exceptional batter in limited-overs cricket, but he still has to prove his mettle in Test cricket. Temba Bavuma has been out of the team for a long time and is definitely out of form given his last ten matches. Aiden Markram is one for the future, but this time belongs to van der Dussen.
Rassie van der Dussen may not have any captaincy experience to date, but his leadership abilities have come to the fore on many occasions. In his first Test match against England, van der Dussen scored a vital fifty in his second innings, enabling South Africa to take the game out of England’s grasp. His effort came after the South African top order collapsed, and more importantly, he scored at an impressive strike-rate of 76.12.
Similarly, in the last Test match at the Wanderers, van der Dussen put up a resilient fight in the second innings against a penetrative English attack, slamming an impressive 98 to save face for his team.
As much as he is credited for those knocks, he also deserves credit for the strike-rate at which he scores. In many ways, he is doing precisely what AB de Villiers did at number 5. It’s time to give the 31-year-old a chance to showcase his leadership abilities as a captain, and it might just turn out to be an inspired move.
Arjun Menon
Guest
If Kolpak players are considered for selection(which I think they should) Dane Vilas could be a great test captaincy option. He has lots of experience in captaincy and he could be the Tim Paine of SA and resurrect the team from these dark times.
Paul
Roar Guru
as I said, Saffers cricket must be in poor shape
Amrit
Roar Guru
Selection gambles on the basis of quota restrictions will not leave SA too well. It's time for some kind of inspiration and performance...I think rassie is the perfect fit
Amrit
Roar Guru
I think Elgar's an option, however he hasn't been of the same form of late. His captained once in Lords and well that was miserable. I just think it will be an added burden.
Brian
Guest
Wait didn't we pick a journeyman wicket-keeper
Brian
Guest
If picking bavuma helps them deal with the govt quotas then its probably a price worth paying. Either way I think they are going down the WI path of not being competitive in tests and filling the worlds t20 leagues
Paul
Roar Guru
First of all, is he a lock for the Proteas team? He hasn't exactly set the world on fire with the bat. I'm also thinking SA cricket must be in pretty poor shape if a journeyman T20 player with no real captaincy experience is suddenly catapulted into what we Aussie think is the second most important job behind the Prime Minister. If he gets the job, I certainly wish him all the best, but I'd have thought there has to be better options?
Patrick
Roar Pro
I think its a bit early to take the captaincy after only four Tests. I agree with your assessment on Bavuma and Markram though, and they seem to have ruled out De Kock. What about Dean Elgar? He's been a consistent performer over a number of years.