Was surprised to see Bhuvneshwar, Rahane dropped from the side: Michael Holding

Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding would have surely been a delightful man seeing the pacers dictate terms in the ongoing South Africa vs India Tests. While everything seemed to be right in the recently concluded Centurion Test, Holding was puzzled to see no Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Indian lineup. It is worth noting that Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the first Test at Cape Town.

Also, it was Bhuvi who had the Proteas reeling on 12/3 on the first day of that game. Despite his efforts, he found no place in the Indian lineup for the Centurion Test. Also, senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane was dropped from both the matches owing to his poor run of form. As per the recent quotes in Cricket Next, Michael Holding spoke at length at how Virat Kohli’s team selection left him surprised.

He mentioned that Bhuvneshwar should have retained his place in the match after his heroics in the previous game. Also, Holding refrained from making any comments on Rohit Sharma citing that he does not know too much about him. But from his knowledge, he felt that Ajinkya Rahane should have played the match for the overseas records that he possesses.

“I am very surprised that Bhuvneshwar was dropped after what he did in Cape Town, but I am just as surprised that Rahane was not played. His record overseas is better than most. I don’t know enough about Rohit Sharma (to get into the debate on whether he should be playing in place of Rahane) and some of the other guys. See, I only see India play Test cricket when they come to England and then in South Africa. That is why it will not be fair for me to comment much on other people,” quoted Michael Holding.

“And to be honest, what I have seen of Rahane, he seems to me to be a very good player. I was just surprised to not see him in the XI and the same thing with Bhuvneshwar. I think he is a very good bowler and I was surprised that he was not in the XI,” he added.

India’s theory going wrong?

Time and again, team India have stressed on the importance of bowlers who could pick 20 wickets in the game. Michael Holding totally agrees with the policy. But what has left him puzzled is the fact that the Indian batting looks compromised. He remarked that the Indian bowling is up to the mark to fetch 20 wickets. He questioned if India’s batting is capable enough to get runs or not.

“The Indians have the bowling to pick 20 wickets and win Test matches. And I am saying that from the very first Test match in Cape Town. I have no problem with the Indian bowling, but will the batsmen put runs on the board? From the very first day in Cape Town, I have been saying that. It is up to the batsmen to get the runs on the board and then the bowlers will do their job,” he stressed.

Bowlers need to step up

Furthermore, Michael Holding felt that the Indian team is overly reliant on their spearheads in overseas conditions. He mentioned that Ishant Sharma, who was playing his 80th Test, should have played the supporting role and the youngsters should have grabbed the opportunity to do bulk of the work. Ishant did the same when he was young and now it is the time to pass on the baton.

“Ishant, if you remember, what was this? His 80th Test match? He used to do it (lead the pack) in his younger days. He will not run through sides for the entire career. It is time for the younger guys to come up and pick up the slab, be the frontline bowler and allow him to be the support bowler,” noted the former cricketer.

The Game Changer

There were several star performers for South Africa in the match. Be it Faf du Plessis or Lungi Ngidi. But the one man who Michael Holding believes was the game changer was AB de Villiers. He remarked that AB adds serious balance to the side and his contribution to the side remains unmatched.

“With AB de Villiers in the team, six batsmen and five bowlers give it the balance. AB makes a huge difference. He will make a huge difference in any team. And with him in the team, they have the confidence of the batsmen doing a good job,” Holding pointed out.

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