Published: Dec 02, 2015, 10:44 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 02, 2015, 10:44 AM (IST)
India take on South Africa in the fourth and final Test in the Gandhi-Mandela Series 2015 at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla. India have already sealed the series after their comprehensive win in the Nagpur Test. India won the first Test at Mohali by 108 runs but drew the second Test at Bengaluru as rains washed 4 out of the 5 days. India will be looking to win with a 3-0 scoreline, whereas South Africa will look to salvage some pride by winning the last match of their tour. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs South Africa 2015, 4th Test at Delhi
India went into the Nagpur Test with Ishant Sharma as their lone fast bowler, having dropped Stuart Binny. India also went in with an extra batsman as Rohit Sharma was roped into the side in place of Varun Aaron. With series already in the kitty, it will not be surprising if India make a change or two. For starters, they might look to drop Ajinkya Rahane and perhaps get in Stuart Binny or hand a maiden gap to Gurkeerat Singh as an additional all-rounder. If Binny comes in, it will ensure that the attack is not one dimensional. If Gurkeerat makes the cut, it will further add to India’s depth in the spin department. Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan might also face the heat after repeated failures in the series and India might be tempted to get KL Rahul in his place for the final Test, however that looks unlikely. READ: Virat Kohli’s refreshing approach to captaincy has benefitted India
South Africa on the other hand are still sweating on the fitness of Dale Steyn. Steyn has missed the last two Tests due to injury and the Proteas will hope that their frontline bowler is available for selection for the final Test. Marchant de Lange was called as cover for Steyn in the previous Test, but South Africa decided to go in with two spinners and two fast bowlers. As a result, Kyle Abbott was left out and off-spinner Simon Harmer was brought in. Kagiso Rabada has been ordinary in the series so far, picking up just a couple of wickets in 3 matches. Kyle Abbott with his pace and movement can trouble the batsmen early on and South Africa must consider him in place of Rabada. De Lange, who had an extended net session on Monday, too could be an interesting option in the playing XI. READ: India vs South Africa 2015: Call on playing 3 spinners must be taken based on conditions
There was a lot of talk from Pundits and former cricketers around the world about the ‘diabolical’ Nagpur pitch. Even the International Cricket Council (ICC) termed the pitch as ‘poor’. The match finished within 3 days and match referee Jeff Crowe in his report expressed concerns over the performance of the pitch. The Feroz Shah Kotla could also turn out to be a rank turner of that ilk considering the quality of spinners at India’s disposal. Imran Tahir and Harmer showed at Nagpur that they cannot be taken lightly and do have the ability to cause a few jitters in the Indian line-up even at Delhi. India should be cautious of them. READ: Ravichandran Ashwin has some way to go before he can be called ‘World Class’
South Africa have had a terrific tour, where they beat the hosts in the T20 International (T20I) series and the One-Day International (ODI) series as well. Sadly, they could not cap it off with a Test series win, but with nothing to lose at Delhi, they may come out all guns blazing and catch India off-guard.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), KL Rahul, Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Gurkeerat Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma.
South Africa: Hashim Amla (c), AB de Villiers, Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas (wk), Marchant de Lange.
Time: 09:30 local | 04:00 GMT
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
