Rohit Sharma’s men reached South Africa hoping to conquer the final frontier, the only country where the Indians haven’t managed to win a Test series in three decades, and no matter what happens in the second Test, starting Wednesday, they will have to wait until the next FTP cycle to try and change that.
For now, Rohit and the Indian team management have their task cut out – win the second Test in Cape Town and avoid a humiliating 2-0 whitewash. However, going by their record at the venue in their last two tours, it won’t be a cakewalk for the visitors. India went down by 7 wickets and 72 runs, respectively in their previous two outings in 2022 and 2018, and as such the visitors wouldn’t be keen on falling back on the past, and instead look for a fresh start.
One could argue and have higher-than-reasonable expectations from this team after the win in Australia in 2020-21 when India managed to win that Border-Gavaskar Trophy despite losing their first-choice team to injuries and prior personal commitments. However, the story here isn’t quite the same, India have the resources in place, and the only thing the team management will be hoping for would be executing their plans in what appears to be spin-friendly conditions.
As such, the return of Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the first Test due to back spasms, looks certain, but it remains to be seen whether the left-arm spinning all-rounder replaces one of the backup quicks in Shardul Thakur or Prasidh Krishna.
Krishna, who made his debut in Centurion, looks a doubtful starter, after a rather forgettable outing in what was his 13th first class appearance, and his second after returning from a back injury that kept him out for close to 21 months.
Thakur, who has been primarily in the side for his partnership-breaking abilities with the red cherry, besides his lower-order batting abilities, also failed to impress and as a result could make way for another pacer, as the lower order batting will already be bolstered by the return of Jadeja.
India have two handy options for the change-up bowler’s position with Avesh Khan added as a replacement for Mohammed Shami while Mukesh Kumar is already in the squad.
While the bowling was certainly an area of concern, coach Rahul Dravid will be equally disappointed by the abject surrender of the batting line-up that could only manage scores of 245 and 131 in the Boxing Day Test. Barring KL Rahul (101 in the first innings) and Virat Kohli (38 & 76), the rest of the Indian batters found the going tough against the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen.
The top-order batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, struggled against the barrage of bouncers from the South African pacers, while skipper Rohit Sharma will also be disappointed with his performances in both innings.
With one loss and a draw in three Tests in the new World Test Championship cycle, India can’t afford another loss if they are to remain in contention for a place in a third straight WTC final.
As far as the Proteas are concerned, they will be eager to bid farewell to opener and stand-in skipper Dean Elgar with a series victory. While they have lost the likes of regular captain Temba Bavuma and pacer Gerald Coetzee due to injuries, they have plenty of resources in their ranks, with the experienced Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi waiting for their opportunities.
Elgar, whose 185 was pivotal in SA gaining control over India with a 163-run first innings lead in Centurion, will hope for a similar batting performance before walking into the sunset, while expecting the likes of Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, and the rest of the outfit to take advantage of India’s desperation to win the Test.