Team India is on the verge of starting their grueling overseas tours, starting with the three-Test series against South Africa. The no.1 Test team will also play England, Australia, and New Zealand in the upcoming season as well.
Virat Kohli and his men will get pitches full of pace in South Africa as they have always fallen apart in front of Proteas bowling. Earlier, Indian bowling didn’t have that balance to match their South African counterparts. But this time around, experts believe that Team India has the firepower and in-form bowlers to beat South Africa on their home turf.
The biggest strength of Team India is the form of their batting line-up, especially Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and the presence of Ajinkya Rahane in the team. The biggest positive for team India is actually the fast bowling contingent that India currently possesses. With Mohd Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in their line-up, the Indian cricket team has the ability to challenge South Africa.
All of the Indian fast bowlers are able to clock at the 140 kmph mark easily and Ishant Sharma’s height and Jasprit Bumrah’s unorthodox bowling action and surprise factor of bowling in the Tests will cause problems for the Proteas batting.
The Indian batting might find it hard to face the pace and swing of Rabada, Morkel, and Philander, but after spending some time, they will get used to it and score runs off them.
However, Team India also need to tackle the spinners carefully on the South African pitches. The second problem is the apt playing XI India will look to go in the Test series.
On the last tour of the rainbow nation, Indian spinners failed to perform and that helped South Africa to score big runs in the series. The spinners will obviously play a supporting role to the pacers as teh vice versa happened during the long home season. Only one of Ashwin or Jadeja will get to play in the playing XI unless South Africa decides to prepare a rank turner for their spinner in one of the Tests.
South Africa’s captain Faf Du Plessis has called this the most difficult selection as he might have to choose between AB de Villiers and Temba Bavuma, Andile Phehlukwayo and Chris Morris, and Steyn and Morne Morkel. And then there could be a whole new playing XI wherein they don’t play an all-rounder at all.
Right now they are likely to play a seam-bowling allrounder as they do not want to be in a situation where one of them breaks down, and then they are left with just two fast bowlers and a spinner. Bavuma or De Villiers may have to sit out if either Phehlukwayo or Morris make into the squad.
The three-Test series between India and South Africa is definitely poised to give the viewers and fans of both teams some top quality cricket that will test the mettle of the no.1 Test team and the contender for the no.1 spot.
This series will also be a challenging one for team India skipper Virat Kohli, who is on a dream run as both the captain of the Indian team and as the premier batsman of the team.
There are not making a big deal of the pitch and weather conditions. as most of the players, chose to not train on the day before the Test. It is hard to tell how the pitch will play anyway; there have been greener pitches with loads of runs at Newlands. That in mind, India has prepared hard, and are hoping to adapt to whatever the conditions throw at them.
Probable XI
India: Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma/Hardik Pandya, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, M Shami and Ishant Sharma
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (c), AB de Villiers/Temba, Quinton de Kock (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo/Chris Morris, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn/Morne Morkel, Keshav Maharaj
