India and South Africa will face each other in a two-match Test series starting on December 26 (Boxing Day). SuperSport Park in Centurion and Newlands in Cape Town are the two venues that will host the test matches respectively. India have never won a Test series in South Africa and this time they will look to end this 31-year curse.
The Indian team is facing some headaches in the selection of the Playing XI ahead of the first match of the series. Mohammed Shami’s absence has further added to the headache as India now faces the dilemma of picking an inexperienced third pacer. Before the match, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar picked his playing XI for the Indian team. Sanjay Manjrekar surprisingly picked Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin and added Shardul Thakur in the XI.
“Because it is not known to be a spinner, if it is a range pitch or a pitch that is likely to change a lot, then maybe India could have two spinners. Ravindra Jadeja is at number 7. I pick him ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin just because of his batting contributions in overseas test matches. So, he becomes that number 7 spinner.” said the former India batsman.
India will pick only one spinner for the first Test given the changing conditions at the SuperSport Park and Sanjay Manjrekar picks Jadeja because he has better batting credentials and can contribute runs in overseas Tests. He scored a Test century in England last year and has been excellent with the bat in Test cricket.
Shardul Thakur May Be India’s Favorite In First Test
As for Shardul Thakur, he has a good track record of taking wickets in South Africa and can also contribute crucial runs with the bat. Thakur’s versatile skills make him the perfect choice for the starting XI. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who opened the innings against the West Indies and scored a century in his first Test, will again face the new ball.
Shubman Gill will continue to bat at number 3, followed by Virat Kohli at number 4 and Shreyas Iyer can take the number 5 batting position against South Africa. KL Rahul will don the gloves for the first time in Test cricket and it will be an interesting challenge for him and he can be a good option until Rishabh Pant returns to the team.
Rohit Sharma has a chance to create history by becoming the first Indian skipper to win a Test series on South African soil. The captain will face the new ball along with young Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rohit does not have a good track record with the bat in red-ball cricket on South African soil and he hopes to turn things around in his favour.
Sanjay Manjrekar to play XI for first Test match against South Africa: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar.
