India vs South Africa 2019: 3 Indian players who will be under pressure to perform
After playing an exciting T20 series, India and South Africa will now focus on the longest format of the game. The three-match Test series will begin from 2 October, and both the teams would look to showcase their skills to the fullest as the event will be part of the World Test Championship.
India is leading the points table with 120 points on the board whereas South Africa will play their first series of the championship.
Though India have secured the pole position, there are a few players who have to prove their worth as it could be a career-deciding series for them. Some of them even failed to impress during the Caribbean tour, which put their standing in further jeopardy.
Here, we look at three Indian stars who will be under pressure to perform in the upcoming series against South Africa:
#3 Umesh Yadav
India received a major setback when Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Test series after suffering a minor stress fracture in his lower back. With Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma being the other two pace bowlers in the side, Umesh Yadav needs to perform well if he wants to become a permanent member of India’s Test team.
The 31-year-old fast bowler played his last Test match against Australia on 14 December 2018. He has not been in the squad since that series following his poor form in the format.
Umesh did not have a great outing during the recently concluded practice match against South Africa either as he just grabbed 1 wicket in 11 overs.
Umesh is facing trouble finding the right line and length which could trouble the batsmen. It will be interesting to see how he plays in this series; if he does not produce an extraordinary performance, he could be out of the Test squad for the foreseeable future.
Also see - India South Africa schedule