Verdict on Shikhar Dhawan, Ravi Ashwin and Umesh Yadav for India's tour of South Africa

Ajit Vijaykumar 21:01 21/11/2017
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  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar has become one of the best Test bowlers in the world.
    India came within three wickets of a remarkable victory in the first Test at Kolkata. Sri Lanka fought well and were in the game as late as the second session on the final day at Eden Gardens. The hosts were ahead by just 159 runs when the seventh wicket fell and with nearly 50 overs of play left. But a superlative century by captain Virat Kohli put the target beyond the Sri Lankans and allowed India to truly dominate in the final session before bad light denied them an opportunity to go for victory.
    While there are a lot of positives for the Indians going into the second Test in Nagpur, the bigger narrative here is the buildup to the New Year’s Test in South Africa. India, obviously, want to win the ongoing Test series but they also want to find the right line-up that can take on the Proteas. Which is why the Indians opted for a green-top in Kolkata, a move that almost backfired as they were shot out for 172 in the first innings.
    The Indian team management will be looking at three key positions keeping the South African series in mind and after the first Test in Kolkata, should have a clearer idea about at least two.
    The opening combination looks like a closed case with KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan adding 166 in the second innings. The left-right combination will be critical in South Africa as Dhawan is likely to be the only left-handed batsman in the entire team. That means Murali Vijay will have to wait for one of the two incumbents to fail spectacularly.
    India’s spinners were mere spectators at Eden Gardens. Ravi Ashwin bowled eight overs in the first innings while Ravindra Jadeja bowled one in both innings. The South Africans will have at least two left-handed batsmen – Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock – in the top order and Ashwin looks more capable of containing batsmen as he has better variations than Jadeja. Plus he is a more reliable batsman.
    As far as the pace attack is concerned, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami select themselves for the South Africa tour unless there are any fitness issues. The two were outstanding in Kolkata, especially in the second innings where they bowled with venom and almost pulled off victory in one session.
    However, Umesh Yadav looked down on pace and bite. If he doesn’t find another gear or two then veteran quick Ishant Sharma or even limited overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah will most likely take his place. Both Sharma and Bumrah are quick and get a lot more bounce out of the wicket than Yadav and the team management will surely have a word with him about it.
    Many expected the Indians to breeze through the series but Sri Lanka proved more than a handful. Kohli’s team will be even more focused as they simply have to get their gameplan spot on. Angelo Mathews and Suranga Lakmal proved tough to handle. Just imagine what Hashim Amla, de Kock and Kagiso Rabada will be like.

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