Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt suggested that India should have picked Arshdeep Singh in the squad for the South Africa Test series and he should have played the first Test at Centurion. Butt’s remark came after India’s defeat in the first Test by an innings and 32 runs.

India were bowled out for 245 and 131 as the Test match ended in two and a half days, courtesy of some brilliant bowling by the South African pacers. Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger were especially relentless with their pace and rebounding in the first test. Together they took 14 wickets in the match. Marco Jansen took four, including three in the second inning.

Unlike the South African pacemakers, the Indian pacemakers seemed relatively ineffective. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna, who was making his debut, turned out to be very expensive. Prasidh especially gave 93 runs and took only one wicket. Even Only Jasprit Bumrah looked a class apart with his four-wicket spell. None of the other Indian players could back him up in the game.

Reviewing the first Test between India and South Africa on his YouTube channel, Butt opined that Arshdeep Singh could have been a better option in the given conditions than Prasidh Krishna or Shardul Thakur.

Rather Prasidh Krishna or Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh should have played: Salman Butt

“Instead of playing Prasidh Krishna or Shardul Thakur, it would have been better if India had picked Arshdeep Singh in the team. He throws at more than 135 km/h and also swings the ball in both directions. It could have been effective in the test. Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur gave a lot of easy boundaries.” Butt said.

Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna finished with an economy rate of 5.30 and 4.70 respectively. The two seamers took a wicket each. Meanwhile, Arshdeep took 10 wickets in the ODI series and was a perfect fit for the given bowling conditions.

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Butt further said that India and its captain Rohit Sharma are yet to recover from the shocking defeat in the World Cup final. India went on a 10-match unbeaten run in the run-up to the final and lost in the summit clash to Australia.

“I don’t think so. It’s a different game. He is an experienced player who is coming to the end of his career and has a lot of achievements. It was a final and India couldn’t win; that’s all. I’m sure he has overcome the defeat in the World Cup final.” he said.

Dean Elgar scored 185 runs in the first innings against India in the first Test. His innings and his 116-run stand with Marco Jansen turned out to be the real difference in the match. As for the Indian batsmen, the youngsters’ lack of experience to play in the given conditions also contributed to their loss. India dropped Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane and instead included Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer in the lineup.

“A pretty special blow. Sometimes what we want to do hasn’t gone as planned, but I’m happy it worked out today. I think you should keep things nice and simple, the game is already quite complex. Focus on the ball, play nice and straight. Play late and be cool. You have to get on the roller when it is in your favor. Good partnerships with Tony, and then Jansen also showed his talent. You need fast bowlers and a spinner who can potentially take 20 wickets, that’s how we win Test matches. KG was brilliant, but then Nandre showed why he has been such a bright light for South African cricket.” said Elar who was voted Player of the Match.

Elgar will lead South Africa in their final Test match with Temba Bavuma ruled out with a hamstring injury in Cape Town.

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