Neck & neck: comparing the 5 prong pace attack of India & South Africa

There was much talk about the lively pitch and the swing on offer at Wanderers ahead of the 3rd Test between India and South Africa. Owing to the green top, both teams decided to go in with five pacers in their team. This was one of the few occasions in the history of the game when no spinner featured in either teams.

For India, it is only the second occasion when they have gone in with a spin-less attack. The only other time that India played only quicks was at Perth six years ago. In 2012, the team had fielded Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar against Australia.

Given that both teams have five pacers each, it would be interesting to compare and contrast them one-on-one.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Vernon Philander

Both Bhuvneshwar and Vernon are kings when it comes to swing bowling. Apart from Jimmy Anderson, these two are the finest swing bowlers around in international cricket. If they have conditions on their side, their effectiveness increases manifold.

Bhuvi is a little less experienced than Philander when it comes to Test matches. However, as opposed to Philander who mostly uses the out swinger, Bhuvi mixes his out swingers and in swingers a lot better. His wrist position is also such that it is very hard to pick up as compared to Vernon.

Winner- Bhuvneshwar Kumar