The South African team for the Indian tour which comprises of 3 T-20, 5 One-day Internationals and 4 Test matches has been announced today. The South African team will start their tour with 3 T-20 from October 2 followed by 5 One day Internationals and then the Test matches.
The T-20 squad is captained by Faf Du Plessis who has done well in T-20 series against Bangladesh, but the challenge in India will be tougher than in Bangladesh. In the batting department the openers are Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock who have a great understanding followed by captain Faf Du Plessis who is a good number 3 batsmen, followed by a dangerous AB De Villers who can change the course of the game with some brilliant batting. The middle order comprises of JP Duminy who is another good option for the captain, followed by hard hitter David Miller who can score runs quickly. In the bowling department Chris Morris who can extract bounce on Indian pitches, Kagiso Rabada who is a promising fast bowler with excellent pace, De Lange is another bowler with pace. David Wiese who is another bowler with a change of pace, the spinners include JP Duminy, Imran Tahir and Eddie Leie who played South Africa a tournament in India and made his T-20 debut against Bangladesh recently.
The One-day Internationals will have a mix of youth and experience. The team will be captained by AB De Villers. In this format the openers will be same as the T-20 comprising of Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock, followed by Faf Du Plessis a good number 3 batsman who can create pressure by scoring runs, followed by AB De Villers who is an excellent player in One day International cricket. The middle order comprises of JP Duminy who can pace the innings, followed by Rilee Rossouw who too has too scored runs in One-day International cricket and David Miller can change the course of the game with his big hitting. The bowling department comprises of the top quality fast bowler Dale Steyn who will be tough to face and with him will be Morne Morkel who can extract bounce, followed by Rabada who picked 6 wickets in his debut One day Internationals, Chris Morris another fast bowler who has played on Indian soil. The spinners comprise of Imran Tahir, Aaron Phangsio and part time bowler JP Duminy. These five matches will be mouthwatering as almost all the players have played in India. Despite that, it will be a challenge for the South African team.
In Test cricket, the best test team in the world will be captained by Hashim Amla. The pitches in India will be helpful for the spinners. The openers will be inexperienced as Dean Elgar and Stain will open the innings followed by Faf Du Plessis who is top quality batsmen for South Africa, followed by Hashim Amla who can bat for long time, followed by AB De Villers. The middle order comprises of JP Duminy, Bavuma and the wicketkeeper who made his debut against Bangladesh Dane Villas retains his place in the team. The bowling attack of the South African team is one of the best which comprises of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Rabada. Keeping in mind the pitches the selectors have picked 3 spinners which are Imran Tahir who is making a comeback in the team, followed by Simon Harmer and Dane Pidet. This team looks very good and most of them have played in India it might not be a problem for the top side. The challenge remains for South Africa to play good and aggressive cricket.