3 players who could miss out from India's squad for South Africa tour
India's tour of South Africa has been trimmed down owing to the rising threat of Omicron, the new variant of Covid-19. Team India will take on South Africa in a three-match ODI and Test series. After beating New Zealand at home, this task will be a challenging one for the Virat Kohli-led side and there will be a lot of pressure on the selectors to get their picks spot on.
After the series win against New Zealand, India head coach Rahul Dravid hailed India's bench strength. The home side were without the services of experienced players that included Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah, among others. These players will be back for the Test series against South Africa and hence, the selectors will have to take a number of tough calls.
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We take a look at three players who might not make it to the Test squad for the India vs South Africa series:
1.) Axar Patel
The conditions in South Africa will not be spinner friendly and India could go in with a lone spinner and hence, Axar Patel might miss out from the squad. The left-arm spinner has been stellar in Indian conditions and even stepped up with the bat in the series against New Zealand.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be the two certainities in India's squad. With conditions favoring seamers, the selectors will name a balanced seam attack for the South Africa tour.
In five matches played by Axar so far, he has picked up 36 wickets at an average of 11.86.
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2.) Shubman Gill
Despite all the talent and ability, Shubman Gill has not quite been able to nail down his spot in India's Test side. There were reports that he would be tried in the middle order for the New Zealand series, but due to KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma's absence, Gill played at the top of the order.
Mayank Agarwal found form in the series and could be rewarded with a place in the squad for the South Africa tour. This could also provide Cheteshwar Pujara the opportunity to bat at number three. Agarwal could also slot in the middle order if Ajinkya Rahane finally runs out of chances.
Like Gill, Mayank too was under pressure, but he responded beautifully in Mumbai during the second Test match and this should see him being named in the India squad for the tour of South Africa.
3.) Ajinkya Rahane
The biggest name to possibly miss out from India's squad for the tour of South Africa could be Ajinkya Rahane. India's vice-captain in Tests, Rahane has struggled all year to find any consistency and this could see him getting axed in favour of younger options.
After the New Zealand series, Rahane averages 24.39 over last 16 Tests and this includes one century in the Boxing Day Test nearly a year ago. His career average has dipped below 40 and he looks woefully out of form and confidence.
Shreyas Iyer looked at home in Test cricket and could be the perfect candidate to replace Rahane. This could be the biggest decision the selectors need to make.