India Playing XI: Kohli, Yadav in, Vihari & Siraj miss out

India Playing XI Cape Town Test: India go into the 3rd and final Test against South Africa with the aim to create history in Cape Town, not only to win a Test at the venue but to also win a series for the first time. But Virat Kohli and coach Rahul Dravid will have to make some tough choices. Hanuma Vihari despite a gritty knock will have to be dropped while Umesh Yadav is likely to be the choice for injured Mohammed Siraj, keeping Ishant Sharma on the bench once again. Follow India vs South Africa Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.

Captain Virat Kohli, whom India greatly missed in the 7-wicket loss in the 2nd Test, will come in after recovering from the back injury. But the situation with Mohammed Siraj isn’t great. He has had four days to recover and from his hamstring injury and that isn’t enough time for him to recover. In his place, Umesh Yadav is all set to get the call-up. That means Ishant Sharma will be benched once again, edging closer to the end of his career.

India Playing XI Cape Town Test: Virat Kohli, Umesh Yadav in, unlucky Hanuma Vihari & injured Mohd Siraj miss out

Also Read: IND vs SA: Extremely annoyed Rahul Dravid says, ‘Will have conversations with Rishabh Pant on timing of his shots’

“The obvious choice is to drop Hanuma Vihari. It will be a little harsh on him because I thought he played really well in 2nd Test. But I think the kinds of innings Pujara and Rahane played, you can’t drop them. So, Hanuma goes out, Virat comes in,” former India opener Wasim Jaffer told InsideSport.IN.

The debate has been regarding the second spot. With Mohammed Siraj yet to recover, who will come in as the third front-line pacer. The choices were either Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav. But the latter is likely to play considering many factors at Newlands.

India Playing XI Cape Town Test: Virat Kohli, Umesh Yadav in, unlucky Hanuma Vihari & injured Mohd Siraj miss out

Also Read: IND vs SA LIVE: Dean Elgar warns India of ‘CHIN-MUSIC’ in the Capetown Test, declares ‘we will win the 3rd Test’: Follow LIVE Updates

India Playing XI vs South Africa, Cape Town Test:

1. KL Rahul
2. Mayank Agarwal
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. Virat Kohli
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Rishabh Pant (WK)
7. R Ashwin
8. Shardul Thakur
9. Mohammed Shami
10. Umesh Yadav
11. Jasprit Bumrah

India Playing XI Cape Town Test: Virat Kohli, Umesh Yadav in, unlucky Hanuma Vihari & injured Mohd Siraj miss out

India Playing XI: Why should Umesh Yadav play ahead of Ishant Sharma?

The Newlands pitch has traditionally helped fast bowlers with some swing.
The cool breeze from the nearby sea carries moisture and is helpful to the fast bowlers.
Umesh Yadav bowls at 140kph+ and manages to get outswings which can be very effective in those conditions.
The other factor that will work for Umesh Yadav is his attacking intent. Like Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav likes to take the attack to the batsman with full-length deliveries outside the of-stump at over 140kph, forcing the batsmen to drive and make mistakes.
Ishant Sharma on the other hand is a defensive bowler who likes to keep the scoring in check rather than forcing the batsman to make mistakes. With series on the line, Umesh could be a potent bowler.

We are here at the picturesque Cape Town ⛰️👌🏻#TeamIndia begin preparations for the 3rd Test #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/U8wm0e0zae

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 9, 2022

“There is not a lot to choose between Ishant and Umesh. Ishant doesn’t have the pace anymore but can use his experience and could be effective with his height against left-handers. For Umesh, he is faster and can swing the ball. All India can do is to go by the nets session and decide between the two,” Wasim Jaffer said.

India Playing XI Cape Town Test: Virat Kohli, Umesh Yadav in, unlucky Hanuma Vihari & injured Mohd Siraj miss out

Cricket