South Africa vs India, 2nd Test - India Predicted XI

Chasing a modest total of just over 200, one would fancy the chances of the number one ranked side in the world. However, it could not turn into reality in the first Test of the South Africa vs India Test series. Team India failed to chase 207 in Cape Town. They fell short by 72 runs and have conceded a crucial 1-0 lead to the hosts, South Africa, in the three-match Test series.

Now, the action moves to Centurion for the second Test. The hosts have their act sorted. Barring an injury to their premier pacer Dale Steyn, everything else looks to be on the right track for them. On the other hand, the Indian team is left in tatters. Their bowlers were up to the mark and adapted to the conditions very quickly. However, their much fancied batting lineup collapsed in either of the innings.

With Hardik Pandya being the only one scoring in excess of 50 for the visitors in the Test, and Ravichandran Ashwin being the op scorer in the second innings, it takes no points for guessing that team India is struggling. Ahead of the second Test, they have a lot to ponder about to get their act correct and their permutations right for the match. The track promises to only get faster than how it was in Cape Town. Hence, the combination that the team fields will be a key in the match.

Here is the India Predicted XI for South Africa vs India Centurion Test:

Openers (KL Rahul, Murali Vijay)

Team India is very much likely to have a change in their opening order. Murali Vijay could barely get his feet moving against the South African quicks in the first game. The condition was no different for Shikhar Dhawan as well. Dhawan, who is playing his second Test series in South Africa, got out in an absurd manner in the first innings. A rash shot on a tricky surface certainly did not serve his case well.

This calls in for a change in the opening order. KL Rahul, who is known to score runs consistently in the longest format, could get in the team at the expense of Dhawan. Rahul was also seen working hard in the nets after the first Test. Meanwhile, Murali Vijay retains his place in the side owing to the fact that this is his third tour to South Africa. Also, he has a top score of 97 in the South African conditions. The team would hope that Vijay gives them a good start at Centurion.

Middle-Order (Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma)

The Indian middle-order, on a normal given day, would look like a formidable lineup. However, they surrendered meekly in Cape Town. For India’s fortunes to change, they would want either of the two – Cheteshwar Pujara or Virat Kohli – or both of them, to score big in the next Test. Pujara was India’s leading performer in Test cricket in the previous season.

Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, needs no introduction. He, too, has been in a sensational form. In the previous assignment against Sri Lanka, he had hit two consecutive double tons. However, in Cape Town, his demons of 2014 haunted him again when he was dismissed whilst flirting the delivery on the outside the off-stump channel.

Rohit Sharma was the preferred batsman at number five in the previous game. He was picked ahead of Ajinkya Rahane in the match. He could not justify his selection though. Rohit would hope to perform better in the upcoming Test, if given an opportunity.

The only reason why Rohit could still retain his place in the side is because of the fact that team India would want to beef up their batting. This could mean playing an extra batsman in the lineup at the expense of a bowler. Hence, Ajinkya Rahane is also likely to find a place in the side. Rahane was spotted working on his batting in the nets after the Cape Town Test.

All-rounder (Hardik Pandya)

Hardik Pandya seems to have made the all-rounder’s spot his own in the Indian team across the three formats of the game. Interestingly, Pandya was one of the better performers for the team in the Cape Town Test. It was his knock  of 93 in the first innings that had helped the team stay alive in the game. Later, he accounted for the dismissals of both the South African openers in the second innings.

Wicket-keeper (Wriddhiman Saha)

The South Africa vs India tour seems to be the biggest that Wriddhiman Saha has played in his international career. Saha has a very good opportunity to prove why he is regarded the best keeper-batsman of team India in Test cricket. He registered a record number of dismissals in the first Test. However, with the bat, his struggle was evident and that remains a worrying concern for the management. With Parthiv Patel waiting in the wings, Saha would be under pressure to perform.

Bowlers (Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah)

In the first Test, team India went ahead with a combination of three fast bowlers, an all-rounder in Hardik Pandya, and a spinner in R Ashwin. Ashwin rarely had his chances with the ball and that could pretty well see the Indian team field an out and out pace attack in the remaining matches of this South Africa vs India Test series.

Mohammed Shami had a troubled time in the first innings where he struggled to find his lengths. He, however, was exceptional in the second innings with the ball and led India’s resurgence in the game. Jasprit Bumrah, who made his Test debut in Cape Town, looked decent with his numbers in his first outing. He dismissed the star batsman of the opposition, AB de Villiers, in both the innings of the match.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a certain starter in the team after his brilliant spell with the ball in the first match. It was Kumar’s spell that had South Africa reeling on 12/3 in the first innings of the game. Team India have Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav in the wings. But it is unlikely that they will tinker with their combinations in the pace bowling department.