Before the start of the India vs South Africa first Test in Centurion, there is a lot of speculation, as to who will make the playing XI, and who will miss out. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra also joined the bandwagon, and predicted the India XI for the Test match.
There were no major surprises in his list, as he went with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal as his openers, with Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja as the all-rounders. Only R Ashwin seems to have missed the cut.
“Rohit Sharma will be seen playing as an opener for the first time in South Africa. Yashasvi Jaiswal will be there along with him. His career has started very well but it needs to be seen how he plays going forward – there is a massive difference between the conditions in West Indies and South Africa,” Aakash said on his Youtube channel.
“You will see Shubman Gill at No. 3. It is the first series (in a long time) in South Africa where you neither have Cheteshwar Pujara nor Ajinkya Rahane. So big shoes to fill there. I think Shubman Gill still has a lot to prove in overseas conditions, especially as a Test cricketer.”
“Kohli will be seen at No. 4. I think the team have made up their mind that they will play Shreyas Iyer at No. 5 and KL Rahul at No. 6 as a proper keeper. Shreyas Iyer – his first Test match in South Africa, it’s going to be tough.”
He even went on to say that the bowlers are more likely to deliver, but the batsmen will have to step up. “When I look towards the bowling, I feel Jadeja will be the only spinner. Mohammed Shami is not there and his absence will be felt because Mohammed Shami, the wicket-taker, has been performing very well. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, and the fourth needs to be an all-rounder.”
Aakash Chopra playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
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