5 Underrated Indian players who can hold the key against South Africa

5 Underrated Indian players who can hold the key against South Africa: Just a fortnight to go and India will be playing a limited over series against the best team in the world, South Africa. Now, there haven’t been many teams who have performed well in India. Not even the sub-continent teams find it easy to defeat India in their own back yard. But, South Africa are one of those sides who are well equipped to challenge India in any conditions. With spinners like Imran Tahir who is good enough to exploit the turning wickets and world class fast bowlers in Dale Steyn who will reverse the ball in these conditions; not to mention the batting force that includes AB “Superman” de Villiers and Hashim Amla, and we are in for a treat of a series. Keeping that in mind, we tried to analyze 5 Underrated Indian players who can hold the key against South Africa: 5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (© Getty Images) You would probably wonder why an accomplished bowler like Bhuvi is a part of this list of the under-rated players, well ask yourself, when was the last time Bhuvi was a regular member of the side? Against Sri Lanka? No; Against Bangladesh? No; In the World Cup? No; Against Australia? No! The point is, cricket is a funny game and it doesn’t take long for a fan to forget about a player, doesn’t matter how good he is. Fast bowlers like Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami have, of late replaced Bhuvi in the Indian line up and now it’s time for the “king of swing” to take back his rightful place. If Bhuvi can cause some damage to the Proteas’ top-order, it could only help our chances going forward. 4. Stuart Binny: Stuart Binny. (Photo Source: BCCI) Stuart Binny, lately, has been playing as India’s only recognized medium pace all-rounder in the starting eleven. Say what you can about him, but the Karnataka all-rounder had a big impact in the Sri Lanka series; holding up one end and picking up crucial wickets with the ball while, contributing valuably if not emphatically with the bat. Playing ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the recently concluded series, Binny is another under-rated player who could help India on the path of glory, starting next month. His capabilities with the ball in the sub-continent conditions is well documented (who can forget that 6 wicket spell in Bangladesh!) while, some of his lower order fireworks with the bat might be needed in the crunch situations. 3. Ambati Rayudu: Ambati Rayudu. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Ambati Rayudu is a kind of player that no one really pays attention to. In the lineup that boasts the style and flair of Rohit Sharma, Shikar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and MSD himself, you can forgive the opposition for not taking Ambati Rayudu seriously before the game. And that’s what works to his advantage! Now, Rayudu might not have that flair in his batting that makes him an attractive batsman, but he sure gets the job done. His use of the feet against the spinners can prove to be an asset against Imran Tahir while, his experience in the IPL against Steyn and Morkel can only help him and the team, going into the series. A dependable middle order batsman, Rayudu can be a dark horse of our batting line up, if given a chance. 4. Amit Mishra: Amit Mishra. (Photo Source: BCCI) A couple of months back everyone had nearly forgotten about “Mishi”. But the Haryana spinner made a massive comeback against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series as his spin partnership with Ashwin held key to India’s 2-1 series win. Not only that, but his lower order contribution with the bat was another important facet of his game that helped him in his selection for the Proteas series. Now, we might not have a complete, quality all-rounder in our side, but with players like Amit Mishra and Stuart Binny, we do have the option of playing one batsman less in bowler friendly conditions. Still under-rated in the limited overs cricket, Mishra has all the attributes to surprise us in a fortnight’s time. 5. Axar Patel: (© Getty Images) If there’s one player who has been massive for India in the last few months and deserves a chance in the starting eleven more than anyone else, it is Axar Patel. The Gujarat spinner is having a dreamy spell in his career. In the recently concluded 2 unofficial Test series against South Africa- A, the spinner managed to scalp 13 wickets whilst also scoring a 69* with the bat when his team needed him the most. His stats in the second innings of the second Test match read 6-6-0-4. Six overs, Six maidens and 4 wickets. Can you imagine that! It’s fair to say that Ravindra Jadeja has had a plethora of chances, more than enough actually to cement his place in the side but so far, he has only failed in doing so. Axar Patel probably deserves a chance more than anyone right now and under-rated as he is, he could play the key role for India against South Africa. Also Read – 5 Popular Cricket coaches around the International circuit