Wasim Jaffer picks India's playing 11 for 1st IND vs SA 2021 Test, leaves out Hanuma Vihari
Wasim Jaffer has left out the in-form Hanuma Vihari from his preferred Indian playing 11 for the first Test against South Africa, which begins on Sunday in Centurion. The former opener stuck with recently-sacked former vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer, with the latter scoring 202 runs in his first two Tests against New Zealand.
Wasim Jaffer picked the expected top order comprising Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli. In the middle-order spots, he argued that Rahane, who averages 53.20 from three Tests in South Africa, has superior experience and also brings in leadership and fielding skills.
Wasim Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo:
"KL and Mayank will open. Pujara at number three [and] Virat Kohli at four. I'll play Ajinkya at number five. There's a lot of debate regarding his form and between him Shreyas Iyer and Vihari. For the first Test, I'll definitely prefer Ajinkya because he has the experience, the skill. Yes, his recent form is debatable but he has scored runs in South Africa and knows the conditions well. And he brings a lot more to the table than just batting - [like leadership] when he was the captain [or] as a slip fielder."
Wasim Jaffer chose Iyer over Vihari, despite the latter being the top-scorer for India 'A' during their recent series against South Africa 'A'. He then picked Rishabh Pant as his wicketkeeper, followed by three pacers and one spinner. The 43-year-old added:
"I'll prefer Shreyas Iyer for number six because of his recent form and how he batted against New Zealand. I'll prefer him over Vihari. Vihari had a good series with India 'A', he made pretty good runs in similar conditions, but that was India 'A' series and not Tests. So I'll prefer somebody who scored runs in Tests. Number seven would be Rishabh Pant, number eight would be Ashwin and nine ten eleven would be Bumrah, Shami and Mohammed Siraj."
India made 250+ only once in six innings in SA in 2018. And that's why we lost the series despite taking 20 wickets in all 3 tests. Extra batter is a must in SA. I'd go 7+4 with Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, and Ashwin being the 4 bowlers. #SAvIND
Although Wasim Jaffer's 7+4 combination is in line with what most teams usually go with in South Africa, Kohli might still prefer five bowlers for the first Test.
Vice-captain Rahul hinted at the same in a press conference on Friday, saying it would be easier to manage the workload with five bowlers. This would mean one between Iyer and Rahane would have to give up his place to all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
"Golden opportunity to win a series in South Africa" - Wasim Jaffer
.@imVkohli's transformation 👏
Excitement about SA challenge 👌
Initial few months as Head Coach ☺️
Rahul Dravid discusses it all as #TeamIndia gear up for the first #SAvIND Test in Centurion. 👍 👍
Watch the full interview 🎥 🔽
bit.ly/3pqNXyP https://t.co/vrwqz5uQA8
When asked if this is India's best chance to win their first Test series in South Africa, Wasim Jaffer replied in the affirmative. He said it's a "golden opportunity" as the Asian giants are strong as ever, while the hosts lack in the batting department.
Wasim Jaffer said:
"I think even last time we had the team and the potential to win the series but perhaps the South African team was strong too because there was Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, even Hashim Amla. So their batting is somewhat weak [this time] although their bowling is potent even if you compare with the last tour. But definitely the Indian team is quite strong even though Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja are not there. Even still this team is very strong and it's a golden opportunity to win the first series in South Africa."
The first Test will kick off at 1:30 PM IST on Sunday.