IND vs SA | I think Theunis de Bruyn is playing with a cluttered brain, says Graeme Smith

When he swept his way to a maiden Test hundred on the last day of the series before a Rangana Herath six-for helped Sri Lanka to a 199-run win, Theunis de Bruyn was touted for bigger things. But since that century, a defiant 101, his reputation has somehow diminished with regular underperformance at the top level.

To put things into perspective, he averages 14.38 in Test cricket if you take that knock away and this doesn’t suffice for a further long run, especially with the presence of Zubayar Hamza and Rassie van der Dussen. Graeme Smith, who is known for his patience with his players and is a huge advocate of giving people enough chances to prove themselves at the top-flight cricket, seems to have lost his patience too and in a commentary stint with Star Sports, he questioned de Bruyn’s decision-making.

"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.

"De Bruyn, in particular, to me, he scores a lot of runs at the 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."

After the loss, skipper Faf du Plessis has already hinted at resurrecting the team for the second Test in Pune, and if the hints are anything to go by, then Hamza might get a look-in ahead of de Bruyn.