Sarandeep Singh Backs India To Whitewash South Africa In The Test Series

Former BCCI selector Sarandeep Singh believes that India can whitewash South Africa in the ongoing 3-match Test series. On Thursday India took a 1-0 lead with a 113-run win in the first test at Centurion. Virat Kohli & Co. dominated the test in all three departments.

India has been chasing their first series win in the rainbow. However, Sarandeep Singh believes that this Indian team is too strong for Dean Elgar & Co. and can go all the way and whitewash them by a 3-0 margin.

“Yes, we can see this Indian team winning the Test series 3-0 because South Africa’s batting is not looking that great. Only Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, and Quinton de Kock can chip in but if all the pressure is on these three then the team can’t win because Indian bowling is very strong. It is due to rain that the match got over on the fifth day otherwise you will see matches getting over in 3 or 4 days,” Sarandeep Singh told ANI.

Notable that India became the first Asian side to win a Test at Centurion. Mohammed Shami picked a fifer in the first innings and also reached the milestone of 200 wickets in Test cricket. The story in 2nd innings has been pretty much similar as South Africa couldn’t cross 200 on both occasions. The former off-spinner also lauded India’s pace bowling unit and gave credit to former bowling coach Bharat Arun for their consistent run.

“Yes, it is big news. I think this is the first Asian team to win in Centurion. A big congratulations to Rahul Dravid on his first win as coach in SA. It is very difficult to beat SA in their country. It is a huge moment for the Indian cricket team. The way Virat Kohli handled the side and the way our fast bowlers bowled especially Mohammed Shami. Jasprit Bumrah got an ankle injury but he came back and bowled well and surprise package Mohammed Siraj. We all talk about batters but look at our fast bowlers. It was a combined effort by the Indian team. SA bowlers bowled well but look at our bowlers. Credit goes to Ravi Shastri also and now the team is under Rahul Dravid. Even Bharat Arun deserves credit for fast bowlers. The way he worked with them for 4-5 years,” he said.

Former off-spinner also pointed out that the century partnership for opening wicket by KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal put India on a driver seat. He gave the credit to batting coach Vikram Rathour as Indian batters adapted well across formats.

“Even Mayank Agarwal played well after sitting out in so many Test matches. Talking about KL Rahul he is improving with every match, series. Earlier he used to open in T20s and now Test matches. Credit shouldn’t only go to Dravid but also to batting coach Vikram Rathore. He spends a lot of time with batters. Even the lower is batting very well. KL Rahul is very focused and hard working. He is a complete player who can play as an opener and also as a middle-order batsman. It is not that he can only play as an opener.” he opined.

The second test between India and South Africa will begin on January 3 in Johannesburg.

Also Read: Indian Bowling Attack Can Pick 20 Wickets Anywhere In The World, Says Sachin Tendulkar