Nandre Burger shines on Test debut against India: Decoding profile
Debutant pacer Nandre Burger was pivotal to South Africa's comprehensive innings victory over India in the Test series opener in Centurion. He claimed figures worth 3/50 and 4/33 as the Proteas side won the Boxing Day Test by an innings and 32 runs. Notably, Burger earned his maiden ODI and T20I caps earlier this month against India. Here we decode his profile.
Who is Nandre Burger?
Burger is a left-arm pacer who represents Western Province and Gauteng in the South African domestic circuit. The 28-year-old made his professional debut in 2016 and took over seven years to earn his maiden South Africa cap. He can swing the new ball at express pace besides operating well in the death overs. Burger owns over 120 wickets in First-Class cricket.
Fiery spells from Burger
Burger exploited the red cherry brilliantly as he dismissed top-order batters Yashasvi Jaiswal (17) and Shubman Gill (2) in his first outing. Centurion KL Rahul was Burger's other victim in India's first innings. He looked even more lethal in his second outing as he sent back Jaiswal (5) and Rahul (4) yet again. Ravichandran Ashwin (0) and Mohammed Siraj (4) also fell to him.
129 scalps in FC cricket
Having played 41 FC games now, the 28-year-old pace merchant has raced to 129 scalps at 26.98. The tally includes nine four-wicket hauls and three fifers as 5/36 read his best figures in the format. Meanwhile, the pacer also owns 52 scalps in 44 T20 games at an impressive economy rate of 7.40. He owns 63 scalps in the List A format at 28.61.
Fiery spell against India
Burger claimed three wickets in the second ODI against India in Gqeberha earlier this month. He dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad (4) in the first over before getting the better of Tilak Varma (10) and Rahul (56). The star pacer finished with 3/30 in 10 overs as SA won by eight wickets. He finished the three-match series with five scalps at 25.80.
To play for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024
Burger will play for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise bought the fast bowler for his base price of Rs. 50 lakh in the auction event on December 19. Notably, he has a solitary wicket in his only T20I outing to date, against India in Johannesburg. Burger returned with 1/39 in that game
