The bowlers are the ones who have kept the fight on for India and many times, single-handedly, the pacers and spin bowlers are the ones who bring the team back into the contest. The innings is collapsed due to the batting failures and India in the past has seen many such instances. The recent one to remember is the 36 all-out in the Day-Night Test match against Australia at Adelaide.
But in all those instances, the bowlers have stood up for the national side when the batsmen had no answers. India is lucky to have a good pace bowling attack. These pacers have made their mark in the SENA countries which have helped to take Indian cricket forward despite those unfamiliar pitches and conditions.
The Indian bowlers have used the seaming and swinging conditions to good effect. The Bumah’s and Shami’s were terrific in England ad that is why the Indian team ran close to winning the Test series in the UK after 14 years. But they couldn’t script the history because of the Corona Virus threat. India had to back off from that last match.
With Bumrah and Shami, India has good bowling options and varieties in Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, and Ishant Sharma. But the spin department will be a concern for the visitors in this series due to the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Now Ravichandran Ashwin, who did not get a single chance to bowl in England will bowl in South Africa as the lead spin bowler of Team India.
India has also picked Jayant Yadav and he can accompany Ashwin in the Test matches. But Jayant doesn’t have any experience in bowling in overseas conditions and the South African pitches are a graveyard for the spin bowlers. So it would be interesting to see whether the team management and selectors go with Jayant and Ashwin or with just one spin bowler.
South Africa Vs India Test series will start from Sunday, 26th December 2021 and the first match of this three-match Test series will be played at Centurion. So before this series gets underway, today we have brought five Indian bowlers to watch out for, in this Test series. This list includes just one spinner and four pace bowlers. India might play four pacers for the first Test match, keeping the South African conditions in mind.
Mohammad Shami
Shami is India’s leading pace bowler in overseas conditions. Shami’s accuracy and form was the main reason why the Indian pace battery has been good in the SENA countries. Shami was good in Australia. But he had to leave the tour mid-way due to injury and he was terrific in England this time around.
Shami has the experience of bowling in South African pitches. He was India’s leading wicket-taker on the last tour to the Proteas Nation. Shami had picked up 15 wickets in that series. Still, India lost that Test series because of the batting collapses. Shami would be again terrific this time and we hope that he continues his good form which he showed in Australia and England. Shami’s form will be the key to India’s success in South Africa.
Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah’s first tour to South Africa was the terrific one. He picked up 14 wickets in that three-match Test match series. He was the second-highest wickets taker for the team in the 2017/2018 series.
India would want Jasprit Bumrah to shine on this tour to South Africa as he shined in the Test series of Australia and England. Bumrah also couldn’t play all the matches in Australia last year as he was also injured midway. But in South Africa, he would like to make a men’s mark and help India to win their first-ever series in the Proteas Nation.
Shardul Thakur
Lord Thakur has impressed everyone with his all-around skills. Shardul has helped India to lengthen their batting and when he bowls, he makes things happen. In his debut Test match at Brisbane, Shardul scored a vital half-century which helped India to be in that contest. He also played a good knock in England.
The cricketing pundits like Sanjay Bangar, Sanjay Manjrekar, and many other experts believe that Shardul Thakur can be the potential all-rounder for India in all three formats of the game. India will miss the all-around services of Jadeja, Bhuvi, and Axar Patel in this series, so Shardul Thakur needs to contribute with the bat and ball. South Africa series will pose a different challenge for this youngster and so, he needs to adapt to the conditions quickly as possible.
Ravichandran Ashwin
The ace spin bowling all-rounder will be the lead spin bowler for Team India in the three-match Test series against South Africa and it looks like Ravichandran Ashwin will also be the lone spinner for India in that Test series. He didn’t get a chance in England and Ravindra Jadeja played ahead of him in the whole series.
So now, Ravi Ashwin has a lot to = prove in the absence of Jadeja and Axar Patel. Ashwin made a good comeback in the limited-overs game and now he needs to use that same intensity when he plays the Test series in South Africa. The pitches in the Proteas Nation don’t support the spin bowlers and that is the main reason why India might play the series with just one spinner. Ashwin needs to use the rough and the footmarks to be successful in that series. He still needs to be more accurate with his line and length to get the desired success for himself and India.
Mohammad Siraj
The last player to watch out for in this three-match Test series is Mohammad Siraj. He has been impressive in the matches he has played for India. In his debut series against Australia, Siraj picked up a five-wicket haul in his just second Test match at Brisbane. He also bowled extremely well in the tour of England.
Now on the tour of South Africa, Siraj needs to strike big as he did in England and Australia. India will want a good performance from this youngster on the pitches which will suit the fast bowlers. Siraj has been quite accurate with his line and length so far. He should continue his excellent form in the Test series which will allow India to script history in the Proteas Nation.
