Indian Team’s strategy

The line up for the test match against South Africa should have alarmed or at least surprised you. Just to recall, I have the second test match line up for you:

Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav. In the second test Vihari was replaced by Umesh Yadav.

Let’s talk about the team,

1. Bumrah and Pandya are suffering a lower back pain. Pandya has had this for more than a year (from the Asia Cup 2018 in Dubai), to reduce this and for a long term solution he has undergone a surgery in London. Bumrah has a stress fracture which need not be worried off, as far as now Bumrah has not gone through any surgery. Hardik will need a recovery time of 3-4 months, with full fitness for the IPL. On the other hand, Bumrah will be back in 2 months and will play against West Indies or definitely against Sri-Lanka. Bumrah has consulted Andrew Leipus, physiotherapist for the Indian team and KKR (Kolkata Night Riders), for the cause of this pain and is it due to my bowling action? “Whispering Death” the Jamaican bowler and commentator Michael Holding has advised Bumrah to change his actions as it might create problems for him in the long run. Contrastingly, former Indian bowler Ashish Nehra has put forth is view that his action has nothing to do with the lower back injury. He says “the alignment of his body is perfect right before he bowls the ball”.

Ashwin celebrating after his wicket against South Africa

2. Ravichandran Ashwin’s entry for the Indian team in the test match is a surprise for all. Ashwin wasn’t part of the Indian team for the world cup, and the opportunity he has got is very vital for him to captivate and prove himself fit and eligible for him to be back in the squad (all formats) for the upcoming games against Bangladesh and West Indies. In the first test, first innings he clinched 5 wickets and second innings 3 wickets. In the second test match, 4 wickets in the first innings and 2 wickets in the second. This also makes him reach the mark of 50 wickets against South Africa in just 9 test matches.

Who will it be?

3. Until the test match team lists were released many thought that Rishabh Pant is the next keeper for the team but it is Wriddhiman Saha. This is another surprise, Wriddhiman now also has the chance of getting to the team with his batting abilities surpassed Rishab’s. Rishab’s intention to play always the “hitter” method is pulling down his abilities that he doesn’t showcase during the match. Jadeja now is able to understand the situation of the team better and come down at number 6 (like he did in the second test) and play as a finisher taking the role of Hardik Pandya. The team does not need a finisher at this moment so Saha will be a better option.

4. The bowling unit has a whole is perfectly packed with three seamers (Ishant, Umesh and Shami) and two spinners (Jadeja and Ashwin). The pitch in Vizag is dry so the ball didn’t swing; making it difficult for spin bowlers due to the team’s reliance on them for most of the long spells. Shami is now playing a key role in the team as Virat said in the interview “Shami knows when we need him to bowl his spell, he doesn’t wait for us to tell him.” This bowling smartness is a key for every bowler and his spell always leaves an impact on the batting team. Ishant is known for his variations and mainly his deadly bouncers; he can be very useful for the team in the beginning of the match to get the first few breakthroughs. Umesh gets his chance for another test as part of the team, one of the best for the Indian team playing as a replacement for the world’s no 1 bowler: Jasprit Bumrah.

5. The substitutes for the team are: Hanuma Vihari, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill. Three of them were the U-19 players, India’s strategy now in this series against South Africa and the upcoming against Bangladesh and West Indies is to test their team combinations. The five players: Kohli, Bhuvuneshwar Kumar, Bumrah, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are categorized as A* players by the BCCI, these five are definite players. As I already mentioned, at this point in time India doesn’t need a hitter so the keeper option is shortlisted to Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha. Maybe if Jadeja doesn’t fit the role perfectly then Rishabh can be brought in for few matches until Hardik Pandya’s recovery. When Pandya is back with full fitness then Pant could be an optional choice. Choice between Dinesh and Saha will be a very difficult task for the Indian team to decide and will also depend on the format of the game. The spinners, with a good comeback from Ashwin the team will be in a dilemma to choose the spinners wisely. Will it be Jadeja and Ashwin? Jadeja and Kuldeep? Or three spinners? Kuldeep and Chahal are in Grade B, so the chance of Jadeja and Ashwin (Jadeja and Ashwin are A players) as the spinners is high.

Let’s hope India will have a powerful team for the World T20 that starts next October.