'Hit the Deck' Bumrah a 'Must' for Newlands
Team India's pace department has never looked as good as it is now, and one of the most important reasons for that is, rise of Jasprit Bumrah.
The guy has paid dividends way more than his dues in the past couple of years in the limited overs format. It couldn't be long, before he would be called upon in the longer format, but India's ripe resources in the department have kept him at bay. Now, the start of overseas tours seems like the perfect time to get him in the squad.
It doesn't seem like the policy of the Indian Team to fast-track the newcomer into playing XI straight-away in the Test format. However, everyone is aware of Bumrah's forte being seam and bounce, with the slingy action. One should not be surprised if he debuts at Newlands, tomorrow.
Having a first-class average of 25.33 in Indian pitches, with very little help makes a case for itself. Being retained by Mumbai Indians for IPL 2018 was a little more obvious, but the news sure overflows the already flooded positives' stream for the unorthodox pacer.
Pitch & conditions better suited
News from South Africa is that the place is affected by the worst drought in a long time, which may result in the pitch lacking high moisture, except for the 1st hour of the day. Movement off the pitch will surely be the key for the fast bowlers.
Wrist behind the ball, awkward action, hitting the deck hard to extract seam movement, but most importantly, the rip at the last second through the action gives him high number of revs on the ball, which creates the lift that we see a lot of batsmen fall to.
Never being seen on the test scene, gives Bumrah the added advantage of being just the surprise package India might need to edge ahead of the mighty South Africans at their home soil.
Probable Playing XI
With Ravindra Jadeja out because of viral fever, Ravi Ashwin is sure to play. Although Shikhar Dhawan has been declared fit, the team management may still go with the in-form KL Rahul.
The choice in the fast bowling department is a good selection headache for Team India. With conditions not being apt for swing, as always Bhuvneshwar Kumar may have to sit out. The other spot up for grabs will be no.7 where the duel is between Mumbai Indians teammates Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya.
1.Murali Vijay, 2. KL Rahul, 3. Cheteshwar Pujara, 4. Virat Kohli (c), 5. Ajinkya Rahane, 6. Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7. Rohit Sharma/Hardik Pandya, 8. Ravichandran Ashwin, 9. Umesh Yadav, 10. Mohammed Shami, 11. Jasprit Bumrah