The upcoming Test series between India and South Africa promises to be an absolute cracker of a contest. Because the stakes are going to be high, the Kohli-led side needs to be at its best. Thus, there were a lot of talks regarding their squad, as well as the players who deserve to be a part of it, and those who do not.
Amidst all the rumours, the Indian squad for the red-ball series against the Proteas has finally been announced. While it consists of the regular names, a few calls have managed to take the fans by surprise. Although the 18-member squad consists of several stalwarts, a few inclusions are to an extent, debatable.
Despite having moderate results of late, a few individuals find themselves in this squad. So which of these inclusions are questionable? Do these players deserve a place in such a star-studded side?
Here are 3 surprising inclusions in India’s Test squad for South Africa tour:
1) Ajinkya Rahane
Despite all his class as a batter, Ajinkya Rahane should consider himself lucky to have featured in the Indian Test squad once again. Taking his current form into account, trusting him to do well in the hostile conditions of South Africa seems difficult. Of late, the Mumbai batter has been consistently inconsistent.
He has scored just one century in his last 15 Tests, that being his 112 against Australia in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. To make matters worse, whenever he has got starts, he has failed to convert them into big scores.
He scored 35 and 4 in the first Test against New Zealand as well. Thus, Rohit Sharma has replaced him as the vice-captain of the Test team too. Besides, taking the current form of players like Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari into account, the 33-year-old isn’t a certainty in the playing XI.
2) Ishant Sharma
Over the years, Ishant Sharma has been a loyal servant of the Indian team. However, with the emergence of several young and talented pacers, his place in the side is questionable. Besides, his current form hasn’t been too good either.
He was the only Indian bowler who went wicketless in the first Test against the Kiwis. Moreover, he looked far from threatening. He was mediocre during the England tour as well, as the 33-year-old was able to pick just five wickets, in the two games.
His injuries haven’t helped his cause either. With the presence of five pacers other than him, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that it wasn’t necessary to include him. Last but not the least, having him in the XI makes India’s tail a bit too long.
3) Jayant Yadav
Not many Indian fans would have expected to see Jayant Yadav in the squad. While Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were ruled out due to injuries, there were a few spinners who could have been considered ahead of him. One of them being Washington Sundar.
The Tamil Nadu all-rounder has had an impressive career in the longest format of the game so far. Another important point to be noted is that he recently made his comeback to competitive cricket, and was seen participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Besides, he offers much more with the bat, as compared to the 31-year-old off-spinner.
Selecting the Haryana spinner in the squad is a gamble as he is yet to play a Test outside India. Moreover, as the pitches in South Africa aren’t conducive for spin, an extra batter could have been picked instead. This would have given the team management the luxury of having a solid backup option, just in case any of the batters go through a lean patch.
from CricTracker https://ift.tt/3GsK1mD
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