IND vs SA Boxing Day Test: The first of the three Tests between India and hosts South Africa is set to kick off from December 26, Friday and all eyes will be on the playing eleven of the visitors. Whether or not former vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will get to feature in his 80th Test match is a big question mark. The arrival of Shreyas Iyer and rearrival of Hanuma Vihari in the mix has made the entire situation more tricky for Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid-led Team India think tank. Follow India tour of South Africa Live on InsideSport.IN.
IND vs SA Boxing Day Test: Last chance saloon for Ajinkya Rahane as Shreyas Iyer & Hanuma Vihari wait in line
Ajinkya Rahane’s dip in form has been appalling, so much so that he was dropped from the second Test against New Zealand right after leading the team in the first. However, the BCCI and the management have him an ‘honourable exit’ then, citing “minor left hamstring strain” as the reason of his omission.
Shreyas Iyer, who scored a hundred in his debut Test, got to play his second consecutive game. Hanuma Vihari at the same time was plying his trade for India A in South Africa. Vihari hit three consecutive fifties their to remind everyone of his Sydney heroics which had seen him battle a more than severe hamstring to ensure a historic draw for India. Vihari was back with the squad for the England tour but did not get a single match to play there. He was surprisingly not included in India squad for the home Test series against the Kiwis.
Ajinkya Rahane’s dipping form
- Ajinkya Rahane is averaging 19.57 in his 12 matches in 2021
- After slamming a scintillating hundred at the Boxing Day Test against Australia in 2020, Rahane has managed to hit only two fifties in 22 innings (Chennai and Lord’s)
- During the same period he has registered scores of 10 or less on 10 occasions
- Apart from his 67 and 61 in Chennai and Lord’s, Rahane’s next best outings saw him score 49, 37 and 35.
- In last 5 years, the 33-year-old has averaged over 40 only in 2019
- Rahane’s career averaged has reached a new low of 39.30
The Mumbai cricketer has got the backing of the captain and the management time and again but the Boxing Day Test against South Africa could be his last chance saloon.
KL Rahul, Virat Kohli’s new deputy in the Test series, confirmed that deciding on the playing eleven was a “very, very tough decision”. In the press conference ahead of the high-octane clash, Rahul said that the choice between Rahane, Iyer and Hanuma will be made latest by Saturday.
“It is a very very difficult decision. Ajinkya has played crucial knocks for India including the one in Melbourne or in Lord’s recently. He has been a key player for us. Shreyas has taken his chances. Hanuma has also done the same for us. We will have a chat about that today or tomorrow,” KL Rahul said.
The likes of Ashish Nehra and Pravin Amre have asserted that overlooking Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari for Ajinkya Rahane “will be very tough”.
“It’ll be very tough for Ajinkya Rahane to get into the XI. Team management has to solve the issue. Virat’s (Kohli) form also hasn’t been a wonderful one, however you wouldn’t say you should drop him. The same is the case with (Cheteshwar) Pujara. But Rahane is behind those two. He skippered in the first Test against New Zealand, but was dropped once Kohli came in. So, whether India plays with 5 or 6 batters, it’ll not be easy for Rahane to find a place for the first Test against South Africa,” former India pacer Ashish Nehra told Cricbuzz.
“Shreyas has done that was in his hands. After four good years in domestic cricket, he got the breakthrough. He has done his job. Shreyas will play in South Africa for the first time in a Test match, but there are others who have already played there. The team management will take a call looking at the current situation,” Pravin Amre was quoted as saying by TV18.
India Squad for Test Series – India Tour of South Africa
Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Priyank Panchal.
Standby Players: Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
IND vs SA Boxing Day Test: Last chance saloon for Ajinkya Rahane as Shreyas Iyer & Hanuma Vihari wait in line
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