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CAPE TOWN : Ravindra Jadeja has returned to full fitness after missing the first test against South Africa with back spasms and could be in line for selection as India seek to level the two-match series in the second test that starts at Newlands on Wednesday.
Legendary Indian cricket team batter Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticised the Rohit Sharma-led side and said that the Test team has been 'overrated' in the recent times. During a recent interaction, Srikkanth pointed out that India were outstanding when Virat Kohli was skipper but since then, the form has deteriorated drastically. Under Kohli, India won Test series in Australia and England. However, since then, they have lost in South Africa and England as well as in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will have some sleepless nights before selecting the squad for T20s against Afghanistan with veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli keen to play the World Cup in June. Both Rohit and Kohli have not played in the shortest format for India since the T20 World Cup semifinal against England in November 2022. The two national selectors, Shiv Sunder Das and Salil Ankola are both in South Africa and will be joined by their chairman Agarkar during the course of the second Test at Newlands.
Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma is well known for his witty quips during press conference and ahead of the second Test match against South Africa, he came up with another gem of a comment with regards to batting positions. During the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Rohit was asked about Shubman Gill batting at No. 3 instead of his preferred opening position. Rohit was quick to state that he believes that it is an individual decision on how batters decide to look at certain positions in the batting order and even quipped that since he started opening, the other positions seem wrong to him.
All eyes will be on the Indian cricket team's performance as it takes on South Africa in the second Test, starting in Cape Town on Wednesday. India lost the first Test by an innings and 32 runs. The Rohit Sharma-led team needs a win in order to draw the series. India have had a poor record in South Africa and have never won a Test at the venue. India have also fallen to no. 6 position in the World Test Championship points table. A win will boost their chances of qualifying for the WTC final.
The fitness of Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been the subject of a lot of speculation in the recent past. Pandya was ruled out midway into the Cricket World Cup 2023 after suffering an ankle injury during the match against Bangladesh. The injury meant that he also ended up missing the tour of South Africa and several reports suggested that he can even end up missing the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 along with his national team duties.
Rohit Sharma, the leader, will need to channelise the champion tactician that resides in him as India look to restore parity against South Africa and remain consequential in the World Championship points table when the second Test starts here on Wednesday. India are sixth in the nine-team table with 14 points (38.89 PCT) and a defeat will dent their standing further. Ravindra Jadeja, India's "Most Valuable Player" across formats, will come back to add the requisite middle-order batting balance and steady overs with the old Kookaburra but it will be the skipper's choice of third and fourth speed merchants that will define the embattled team's response.
It was a massive heartbreak for the Indian cricket team as the Rohit Sharma-led side fell agonisingly close to lifting the Cricket World Cup 2023 trophy after losing to Australia in the final. Playing the tournament at home, India looked unstoppable as they won 10 matches on the trot. The unbeaten run included a win over every other competing side in the tournament and ahead of the summit clash, India were considered to be favourites. During the campaign, star batter Virat Kohli played a massive role with 765 runs as he emerged as the top batter in the competition. As a result, the disappointment was quite clear on his face as India were outplayed by Australia thanks to Travis Head and Pat Cummins.