Tristan Stubbs says a lack of rhythm and flow plagued his game before the Proteas tour of India.

The 25-year-old told SportsBoom.co.za that the struggles extended beyond match days and into the nets, making the lean patch particularly frustrating.

“I wasn’t really batting well in that period. I just had no rhythm, no flow,” Stubbs said. “I got a couple of scores, but they were messy scores – there was no real flow. I just couldn’t get into a rhythm.”

Stubbs has long been viewed as a player the Proteas can build around across formats, which is why coach Shukri Conrad showed faith early on, handing him the No 3 role against India’s fearsome bowling attack in the New Year’s Test at Newlands in January 2024. The debut proved brutal, with Stubbs dismissed for a pair on a challenging surface. Conrad later apologised publicly, but continued to back the youngster.

While Stubbs went on to score two Test centuries – in Bangladesh and at Kingsmead – consistency proved elusive. Even during South Africa’s World Test Championship triumph at Lord’s, he battled to rediscover his touch, despite a fighting 76 in Rawalpindi against Pakistan.

The breakthrough finally arrived in India, where scores of 49 and 94 in Guwahati saw Stubbs finish as the leading run-scorer in a series that delivered South Africa their first Test series win in India in 25 years.

“It wasn’t easy, but it’s part of the game,” he said. “Before the Pakistan series and especially coming to India, I wasn’t too worried because I was batting well in the nets. I hadn’t done that for ages, so I knew it was around the corner.”

Stubbs carried that momentum home, helping the EP Warriors win the CSA T20 Challenge, before returning to India for the five-match T20I series. He made a brief but lively start to the campaign, scoring 14 off nine balls in Tuesday’s opening T20I.

PRINCE: Proteas batsmen didn’t adapt to pitch

Photo: Philip Brown/Getty Images