Indications are that India will stick to their much-preferred five-bowler combination for the Test series in South Africa despite suggestions on the contrary after premier allrounder Ravindra Jadeja’s injury, hinted tour vice-captain KL Rahul.
Rahul gave a strong hint that Virat Kohli & company will continue with their usual combination of playing five specialist batters, one wicketkeeper-batter and five bowlers, including a few with batting capabilities.
Under Kohli’s captaincy, India have taken a great liking to the five-bowler combination and used it to balance their units successfully at home and away. But that is mainly down to the luxury that Jadeja, the allrounder on the ascent, provides to the side. Since January 2017, Jadeja has averaged only 25.56 with the ball while averaging 40.81 with the bat.
However, with Jadeja’s forearm and knee injuries ruling him out of the South African tour – and selectors opting not to rush Washington Sundar back into Tests after his finger injury – India have to take a risk if they are to persist with the five-bowler theory. In this scenario, they’ll have to trust either Ravichandran Ashwin or Shardul Thakur to bat at No.7.
While Thakur has played a few priceless innings this year and Ashwin has shown a sense of revival to his Test batting, none of them are considered safe bets at No.7 in Jadeja’s mould, technically and in range. But it’s a risk that Rahul hinted, India are likely to take and look to continue with their usual combination.
“I think more teams have started playing [five bowlers], because, you know, every team wants to pick up 20 wickets, and that’s the only way you can win a Test match,”
Rahul was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo from the pre-match press conference for the Boxing Day Test in Centurion.
“We’ve definitely used that tactic, and it’s helped us in every Test match that we’ve played away from India. I think the workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers, and when you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it,”
he added.
Sticking with the five-bowler combination is riskier not just because of Jadeja’s absence but also the void left at the top of the order by in-form Rohit Sharma’s hamstring injury. With senior pros Virat, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane also currently struggling for consistency and big runs, giving Shreyas Iyer or Hanuma Vihari a nod at No.6 was being considered a safe bet.
But with Rahul all but confirming the team’s inclination, there will be pressure on the top as well as the middle-order to deliver the goods in challenging circumstances. In this, there will be extra scrutiny on the No.5 slot, for which there is expected to be a three-way tussle between Rahane, Iyer and Vihari.
Rahul didn’t give a clear answer when asked who India are likely to go in with among the three but said it will be a “very difficult decision to make” for the team management. He will be part of those discussions with head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Kohli since he is the appointed deputy on tour in Rohit’s absence.
When asked to assess the challenge of playing in South Africa, Rahul, who failed in his couple of Tests on the tour in 2018, said the biggest hurdle is the “tennis-ball bounce” that tracks in the rainbow nation offer to the pacers along with seam movement.
Johannesburg (Jan 3-7) and Cape Town (Jan 11-15) will host the next two Tests of the Freedom Series played for the Gandhi-Mandela Trophy. India have not won a Test series in South Africa yet.
