India decided to drop Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur for the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. The spin wizard picked up only one wicket in the opening Test in Centurion while Shardul picked up the important wicket of Dean Elgar, but was on the expensive side.
Ravindra Jadeja, who was not fit for the first Test due to spasm, replaced Ashwin in the playing XI. He has played only one Test in South Africa and picked up six wickets in that match. The cricketer is often backed by the management ahead of Ashwin in overseas conditions, as he is considered to be a better batter than the veteran spinner.
On the other hand, Mukesh Kumar returned to the playing XI, replacing Shardul. It was on the cards as skipper Rohit Sharma was spotted spending time with the Bengal pacer in the training. However, Prasidh Krishna was also one of the players who could have made way for Mukesh after a disappointing outing in Centurion. However, he managed to retain his place as Shardul, who failed to deliver with both bat and ball in the first Test, missed out.
Temba Bavuma and Gerald Coetzee also miss out
Skipper Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the second Test after he failed to recover from his hamstring injury while Gerald Coetzee has been ruled out with pelvic inflammation. South Africa batter Keegan Petersen, on the other hand, made way for debutant Tristan Stubbs.
In the absence of Bavuma, Dean Elgar will be leading the team in his final Test appearance. On the other hand, Keshav Maharaj has replaced Coetzee in the playing XI. South Africa bolstered their spin unit in the second Test, as the ball is expected to turn as the game proceeds.
Meanwhile, South Africa are leading 1-0 in the series and will hope to keep up with the momentum. During the toss, Elgar clarified that he is indeed playing his last Test match and wants to end it on a high note.
“Going to bat. Pitch looks interesting. We’re in a great position. Can’t win a two-match series if you don’t win the first – we’ve crossed that hurdle. Scoreboard starts on nought. We all know that. Starting well is going to be key against this Indian side. Got a debutant in Tristan Stubbs coming in for Temba. Ngidi comes in for Coetzee who’s also injured. And Maharaj comes in,” said Elgar.
Rohit said: “Would’ve batted first as well. Looks a good pitch. We understand the challenge of batting first on that pitch, but nevertheless, there will be enough in the pitch for the seamers, so hopefully we’ll cash in on it. Important to forget what’s happened in the past. We understand the importance of getting runs on the board, and getting 20 wickets. Didn’t happen in the first game but we’re.”
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar
South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar(c), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi