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ToggleWhat to Expect from India in the upcoming series against South Africa?
After winning a Test series on foreign soil, the next big thing that the current Indian team would be eyeing is another victory in the upcoming home series against South Africa, a much talked about one. Keeping in mind the 2016 World T20 Championships, the series begins with 3 T20 matches. As South Africa is full of players who are capable of doing well in the 20 over format, it will be a really helpful drill for both the teams beforehand.
As far as the Indian side is concerned for the T20s, the batting lineup will consist of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan who are dependable openers. Talking of T20 format, Rohit Sharma’s contribution towards Mumbai Indians’ triumph in Indian Premier League can be considered instrumental and this series will be a test for him if he can get back his much-appraised touch which seems missing from a long time, while on the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan is expected to give a good start to the innings with some early runs.
While there is no doubt about Virat Kohli playing at the third position, skipper for the format MS Dhoni might climb up the order to come out at number four position. Amongst the two options available for the number five position, Ambati Rayudu should be given priority ahead of Ajinkya Rahane as compared to the latter’s defensive style of batting to the aggressive and impactful approach towards batting of Rayudu.
Without much speculation, the number six position will see a hard-hitting Suresh Raina to score the additional boost. Number seven, generally marked as the position of an all-rounder leaves with two options available – Stuart Binny and Axar Patel. While Binny looks like an experienced option, raw talent Axar Patel can be given a try in at least one match to see if he can be saved as a reserve option after Binny.
For the bowling squad, India might go with 2 pacers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma – and two spinners. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been out of the game for quite a few days now needs to find the groove back during the series as India will be depending a lot upon his swing action while Mohit Sharma can provide him a good support with his medium pace. In spinners, Amit Mishra is the definite option for the veggies and Harbhajan can be a trustworthy off-break bowler looking at the fact that he has the potential to hit quick runs as well as doing well with the ball. As another part-time option, Raina can help with a few over with his off spin.
The predicted lineup for T20s:
Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra
The predicted lineup for ODIs:
Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra.
Though the Test squad for India has not been announced yet, speculations are being made that Kohli might shuffle and make some changes by replacing Rohit Sharma with Murali Vijay in the batting lineup as opener and might also play Cheteshwar Pujara. Saha will be in to fulfill the lack of the wicket-keeper in the team.
For the Tests, Ishant Sharma’s one match ban mean he won’t play the first Test but from the second he must be the first choice. Another obvious choice has to be Mohammad Shami but due to his injury, his chances of playing seem uncertain. However, in the first Test, Bhuvneshwar Kumar can play a steady replacement for Ishant. While Umesh Yadav can be the other pacer, skipper Virat Kohli might opt for Amit Mishra and Ravichandran Ashwin as the spinners.
The likely lineup for Tests:
Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma/Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav.
Starting from 2nd of October, 2015, the series has been named as Mahatma Gandhi- Nelson Mandela series. Both the teams will be looking forward to playing their best while testing the abilities of the members for the major event coming next year.
