India Vs South Africa, 2015 - A patchwork series for India
India, who have won a very pleasing test series against Sri Lanka few days back, will definitely be anxious and curious about their next long series against South Africa. An away series win has been encouraging, but it doesn’t mean that all is well. The team has been in an obvious transition phase, which has shown some signs of instability in the last few months.
South Africa is a different level of opposition and to beat them, India has to iron out the flaws that floated up against Sri Lanka in tests and previously against Bangladesh in ODIs.
Tests
No.3 and No.5 has been the real serious question in front of Kohli. He offered a lifeline to Rohit Sharma by pushing him to no. 5 and it almost worked, but doesn’t seem to be a permanent solution. Ajinkya Rahane, who has consistently performed at no.5, was suddenly sent to face the fresh grass pitch at no. 3 after the failures of the openers in the last two tests against Sri-Lanka. Eventually, he could grab runs at the average of only 29.
On the other hand, Cheteshwar Pujara has been one unlucky player to be benched for the majority of the matches. But, the crucial century in the third test against Sri-Lanka will definitely help him.
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No. 1,2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 |
| Ajinkya | - | 35.5 | 40.2 | 48 | 118 | |
| Rohit | - | 26.75 | 4 | 35.6 | 50.38 | - |
| Cheteshwar | 116 | 49 | - | 4 | 13 | - |
The numbers clearly show that Rahane gets comfortable as he moves down the order while Pujara plays well with the first new ball. Rohit Sharma is a difficult player to fit in this scenario. His average at 6th position is merely due to the two centuries he scored against West Indies. If selectors still insist him to play, seven batsmen strategy has to be applied.
Rahul Dravid prefers Rahane at No. 5. “He’s a good No. 5. He gets a chance to face the second new ball and also bat with the lower order and tail”, Dravid had said.
The Binny Conundrum
The team management has to rethink their expectations from No.7. At present, Stuart Binny seems to be restricted to one or two wickets and 30-40 odd runs with the bat. This can actually eat up a position of either a specialist batsman or a bowler who can contribute more than Binny.
Moreover, Amit Mishra proved his courage with the bat to rescue India from some critical situations against Sri Lanka. He has increased the team’s depth of batting, which may improve Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s chances instead of Binny. Kumar swings the new ball very well when conditions suit him. Him being in the team supports Kohli’s idea of 5-bowler strategy too.
ODIs
The team management looks adamant about the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. The latter has been in decent form in the last few ODIs. However, Rohit has to play a few good knocks in this series to prove his worth. Otherwise, his presence will act like a burden as he eats up an important position and creates pressure down the order.
The real problem comes from no. 4 as India has kept varying the players for this and subsequently the following positions in the last few months. MS Dhoni promoted himself whenever required. Ambati Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane will be the players to watch out for this place. Despite being a class player, Rahane has not been consistent. On the other hand, Rayudu has utilized the opportunities came in his way.
| Inns | Runs | Avg | |
| Rahane | 16 | 432 | 28.8 |
| Rayudu | 10 | 286 | 40.36 |
Rahane has played the majority of ODIs as an opener, but he still averages only 31 overall, while Rayudu does 45. The time will tell who gets groomed at No.4.
The growing news of Dhoni retiring from ODIs will create the vacuum for the finisher’s position( no. 5 and no. 6) which will ultimately make way for Wriddhiman Saha. Those will be big boots to fill in for Saha and hence, Suresh Raina, one of the most experienced players, has to take the responsibility of finishing the crucial last overs.
Again, Binny’s choice for No. 7 will depend upon the pitch as well as the opposition. Generally, the South African players have not been strong against spinners. Hence, Axar Patel will have an edge over Binny in the shorter formats as he bowls quite economically.
Bowlers
The only assured bowler has been Ravichandran Ashwin, which should worry Virat Kohli. Others have been either injured or out of form.
Mohammad Shami is hopeful to recover from the surgery before the series begins. The other probables like Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma have not been up to the mark. Fortunately, Ishant Sharma displayed his caliber against Sri Lanka.
Kohli and Ravi Shastri have to rethink their approach towards the 5-bowler strategy for home matches as the Indian pitches offer more assistance to batsmen and the part-time spinners like Suresh Raina can bowl some useful overs.
The Indian team has been in a transition phase since the exit of the legendary players. The big task of constructing the team has been on the plate of the captain as well as director. The right choices at these moments will be fruitful for the 2019 World Cup.