The last leg of South Africa‘s tour of India — the four-Test ‘Freedom Series’ to be more precise — has seen the passage of two Tests so far, with India currently leading the series 1-0 after a thumping win at Mohali. Spinners from both teams have been outstanding for their sides so far, resulting in low scores for either teams. The Nagpur track, where the third Test is to be played, will be expected to be a green top, meaning both sides will bolster their pace attacks. India however, could go a step further in countering the imminent threat by adding an in-form batsman such as Rohit Sharma to their side. Amit Banerjee explains more on the same. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs South Africa 2015, 3rd Test at Nagpur
The third Test between India and South Africa is just a few days away, with the local fans praying for another good performance from their team to seal the Test series. It will help bring a smile to their faces after all the miseries during the Twenty20 International (T20I) and One-Day International (ODI) legs of the tour. India have not had the best of memories against South Africa at Nagpur, with Dale Steyn ripping through their batting order to setup an innings win during the 2010 Test series.
With the wicket expected to be a green one this time around as well, the Indians will take to the field on the opening day keeping the South African pace attack’s current form in mind. Spearhead Dale Steyn’s participation is still unsure, while the unit has been reinforced by the inclusion of the economical Kyle Abbott. India will have to think hard about getting their bowling combination right — whether or not they should include an extra pacer in their side. While the bowling will have to be sorted out sooner or later, India needs to think about its batting line-up too. READ: Likely changes for India and South Africa for 3rd Test at Nagpur
The Indian batsmen have not had good performances to boast of for the most part of the ‘Gandhi-Mandela’ series, let alone the Tests. They were bowled out for a little over 200 in the first Test at Mohali, where the saving grace for them was their spinners bowling the opposition out for lower scores to secure a win for them. Thus, this would be an ideal time for Rohit Sharma to make a comeback into the side, given the fact that he battled bravely against the South African bowlers in the limited-overs fixtures. There is no reason he cannot in the Tests, especially after his recent century in the Ranji Trophy 2015-16 game against Uttar Pradesh (though the South African challenge will be way tougher).
The question however, is that of finding the right person for him to replace. The opening combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay looked good in the second Test with their unbeaten 80-run partnership, with the former remaining unbeaten on 45 to make up for his pair in the first Test. There goes Rohit’s chance of making a comeback in the opening slot in Tests.
There have been a few average performances, especially in the Indian middle-order, which need to be addressed for the third Test, and could give room for some experimentation. Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli are no brainers at the No. 3 and 4 slots. Ajinkya Rahane was poor with the bat in the Mohali Test (15 and 2), and did not get to bat in the second game, chances of him making way for Rohit are slim at the moment. The bowling order is expected to remain a combination of two pacers (Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav being the likely cases) and two spinners (Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin being the obvious choices).
That leaves us with Stuart Binny, who was released for Ranji duty along with Rohit and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the first Test, before making his way into the side for the second game. While the medium-pacer has had an above-par spell in ODIs, he is clearly yet to prove himself in Tests. And his reputation of being a batting all-rounder does not help his case either. Thus, it is only justified that Rohit gets to prove his worth in the third Test, given his ability to take on pacers as well as spinners alike, as well as his current form.
The Nagpur Test is expected to be a more closely-fought game than what we have witnessed in the series so far. The battle of the powerful (but misfiring) Indian batting line-up against the fearsome(if Steyn is declared fit that is) South African bowling attack should provide for a treat for fans, journalists and the cricketers alike. Hopefully, Rohit will get a deserving spot, and play to his potential.
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle@akb287)
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