Former captain Graeme Smith questioned batsman Theunis de Bruyn’s decision-making, after the Proteas slipped to heavy defeat on day five of the first Test against India at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

De Bruyn fell for four and 10 in the first and second innings, respectively. Both dismissals were characteristisd by arguably shoddy shot selection.

The right-hander has collected just 360 runs in 10 Tests since March 2017’s debut. He is averaging 20 in as many innings.

Also read: Final match report from first Test

‘I think this is a guy with a cluttered brain. There is a lot of stuff going on inside his head. It’s just about the fundamentals. It’s just about the basics of knowing that, before you get in, don’t look to cut – and don’t look to drive out of the rough. Look to play with the spin – these are the types of basics the South Africans have to work with,’ Smith said during a television commentary stint.

‘De Bruyn, in particular, to me, he scores a lot of runs at domestic level, but the minute he comes up it’s almost like his brain starts to clutter. His decision-making is an issue. He will look back on this match with disappointment, with the two shots he got out to.

‘You can only look at yourself in those situations.’

Sunday’s win afforded India an early lead in the three-match series. The second Test will start in Pune on Thursday. Ranchi will host the third Test later this month.

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