IND vs SA Test Series: India’s squad for the much-awaited away Test series against South Africa has been announced and it would be fair to say that India’s squad looks very solid on paper. India being the number 1 Test team in the world, will be very confident even in the tough conditions in South Africa and hoping to register a historic series win in the rainbow nation.
Let’s have a look at India’s Test squad for IND vs SA 2021-22: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj.
Standby Players: Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
Indian cricket fans across the world have been sharing their views on the squad on social media, and a vast majority of them seem to be happy with the 18-member squad that the BCCI announced on the 8th December.
But, the biggest question now remains that who will feature in the final playing XI for India in the first Test of IND vs SA 2021-22. In this post, we have picked our best playing XI for India, and we would love to know your views in the comments section.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal
Rohit Sharma is one of the best openers in the world across all three formats of the game and his form will be a very crucial factor for India through the IND vs SA Test series. On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal has cemented his place at the top of the order after his brilliant show with the bat in the second Test at the Wankhede stadium.
Number 3, 4 and 5: KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer
This might sound like a weird idea to someone but we believe that KL Rahul has what it takes to bat at number 3 position in Test cricket. We would pick him ahead Cheteshwar Pujara, who is struggling massively with his form.
At number 4, Virat Kohli is the default choice as he is the captain and India’s best bet for the number 4 spot. And for the number 5, Shreyas Iyer has already stamped his authority with a brilliant hundred on debut. Ajinkya Rahane, who has been batting at number 5 for India in Tests, must be dropped from the playing XI and Iyer should retain his spot at number 5.
Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant
It is true that Wriddhiman Saha is an exceptional wicketkeeper and glove-work is brilliant behind the stumps, but India needs Rishabh Pant batting and fire-power in their lower order. There is no doubt in our minds that Pant should be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman in IND vs SA Test series.
All-rounder: Ravichandran Ashwin
In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin becomes irreplaceable in India’s playing XI. And, this might turn out to be blessing in disguise for India as Ashwin is a spinner of the highest order and a very underrated batsman.
Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav
Jadeja’s absence has also made the case of playing 4 fast bowlers much more strong than what it would have been in his presence. India must pick Shami, Siraj, Bumrah and Yadav and resist the temptation to go with Ishant Sharma’s experience.
India’s best playing for IND vs SA Test series: Rohit Sharma (vc), Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
