Indian selectors have picked an ideal Test team for South Africa tour

Indian squad for the tour of South Africa has been announced, and once again, Sandeep Patil and Co. have made some brave calls. In the last two away Test series, India lost 8-0 and the upcoming tour of South Africa will be a litmus test for the young Indian team.

Indian squad for the tour of South Africa has been announced, and once again, Sandeep Patil and Co. have made some brave calls. In the last two away Test series, India lost 8-0 and the upcoming tour of South Africa will be a litmus test for the young Indian team.

The One-Day International (ODI) squad consists of the usual suspects, but a couple of interesting names were added to the Test squad.

Ambati Rayudu, who has been a consistent performer at the domestic level (5361 runs at an average of 45.82), has been picked in the Test squad. This is a very interesting move by the selectors, because Suresh Raina, who is now a Grade A player and also an important member of the limited-overs formats, was also in contention for the spot of reserved middle-order batter. India have always considered ODI performance as a parameter of selection for Tests, but the current selection panel, headed by Sandeep Patil, has given good value to the performances at the domestic level. And, it would be just fair to say that Indian cricket has benefited a lot from this approach.

Rayudu has a good technique, and he has been a consistent run-getter, at the domestic level. His good performances for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), have also helped him catch the eye-balls, and whatever opportunity he has got at the international level, he has justified his selection. In the four ODIs he has played for India so far, he has scored 101 runs at an average of 50.50. Rayudu’s story is a fascinating one. From trading his cricketing skills in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) during his early 20s, he has gone on to be chosen to be a part of India’s Test and ODI squads. Although, he is unlikely to feature in the playing XI, this experience will help him grow as a player, and this will also lead to a healthy competition, where selections will be made purely on the basis of ‘performances.’

There were also talks regarding Gautam Gambhir‘s exclusion from the squad this is again a very good move by the selectors. As we know, India’s tour of South Africa was cut short by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after their issues with Haroon Lorgat, and now India will now play only two Test matches. Gambhir prefers to open in Test cricket, and on the basis some of good performances, Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, have retained their places as the first choice openers. Now, with only two matches to play, Gambhir’s inclusion in the squad would have made no difference. In fact, that would have made him miss the Ranji matches, where he can work hard and get some runs under his belt. It would be unfair to drop either of Dhawan and Vijay after one bad performance, that too for a player who himself is struggling. Gambhir has to keep going in the Ranji Trophy and push for Vijay’s slot. That’s the only way he can make his comeback at the international level.

Moving from one department of the game to the other, Zaheer Khan will make his Test comeback in South Africa. Zaheer was not included in the central contracts issued by the BCCI this year, and many were saying that his international career has ended. But, with some good performances for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, he kept pushing the selectors, and finally got his call. A leaner and fitter Zaheer, who lost his place in the side after the third Test against England in Kolkata last year, has taken 13 wickets at 19.84. When it comes to bowling, Zaheer is not the fittest, but surely the most-prepared for the tour of South Africa. Zaheer’s biggest problem, throughout his career, has been his fitness, and off late, he has been working very hard on this aspect. Earlier this year, he travelled to France to be with a new-age high-performance trainer, Tim Exeter. He shed kilos and chose the path of domestic cricket to get back into form. Against an experienced and extremely talented batting unit of South Africa, the new, shining cherry will require the old hands of Zaheer Khan. Although, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami have been performing well, to play and win against the number one Test side in their own backyard, experience will be required, and Zaheer Khan is the most has that in abundance.

It will be a challenging series for the young Indian side, and it will be a big test of their character, as well.

The selectors are done with their job, and now, it all depends on the players, who will battle against a good batting unit and an even better bowling attack.

(Madhav Sharma wanted to be a cricketer. Unfortunately, he has today more words than runs to his credit! He blogs athttp://madhavsharmacricket.wordpress.com/ and tweets at https://twitter.com/HashTagCricket)

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