South Africa tour of India 2019/20

[Bigby Wolf]

For the New Zealand series I am looking forward to this line-up

Rohit Sharma /Prithvi Shaw
Mayank Agarwal
Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli
Ajinkya Rahane
Ravindra Jadeja
Wriddhiman Saha
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ishant Sharma
Mohammed Shami
Jasprit Bumrah

I would play Bhuvi instead of Ashwin or Jadeja in NZ conditions almost every match possible.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I would play Bhuvi instead of Ashwin or Jadeja in NZ conditions almost every match possible.

Didn't they say that Bhuvneshwar Kumar is now their ODI bowler ? Going by that Bhuvi won't be there.

 

[Bevab]

Not really. They have got some very good batsman in their team. They have just under-performed. Dean Elgar can bat out any conditions as far as I have seen him, Faf du Plessis is a very dependable batsman, Bavuma is a very good Test players as well. It is never enough to say anything about Markram he is just that good. Zubayr Hamza is also very talented batsman. I feel like Du Plessis is a better accustomed player than AB de Villiers in the longer format. This is just a problem with the attitude with which they have played.

Disagree with this. This South African batting lineup is absolutely terrible. I can’t even remember their team looking this bad in my limited lifetime of watching cricket. All of their future batting prospects look a year or two at best away from properly maturing and establishing themselves.

To show how bad their batting lineup is, take Faf. Would you agree that he is indisputably the best batsman in this side right now? And yet, his highest score in tests is only 137 and averages just above 40. A few years ago, in a peak strength South African lineup, he would be batting at six with those numbers. And yet you rank him above AbD who is clearly a class above him.

Markram is quite full of potential indeed but in his limited test experiences in Asia, he looks completely clueless versus spin. South Africa can’t afford a home track bully who is also supposed to be their future captain.

In no way is Bavuma a very good test player though. Nearly 40 tests later as a specialist batsman and he still has just one century to his name with plenty of gritty 30s and 40s at best. Added to that, he is supposed to be the vice-captain now. Had it not been for several spots being open and a couple of other players uncertain of their positions too, he would have been dropped without any doubt. But alas, to this simple conundrum there is the addition of quotas and the government building him up to be an icon of inspiration for future batsmen of his race which has made his continuous selection even more contentious.

 

[Bevab]

I think you're being a bit harsh on Rohit if this is a sarcastic post. I will again say, Rohit has all the necessary ingredients to succeed. Can he be a success story overseas? Time will tell. But, I will not begrudge him for it. So far, he has very much proven himself. I rate his batting in the first session against Rabada above any of his double tons in ODI's.

Pretty much this. I’ve been very vocal in my criticism of the un-democratic process behind his selection as an opener but he has exceeded my expectations of him making a few good scores on flat pitches and has actually showed the ability to grind it out in relatively tougher conditions, along with the appetite for scoring big. Added to that, there is his ability to completely dominate finger spinners.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

And yet, his highest score in tests is only 137 and averages just above 40. A few years ago, in a peak strength South African lineup, he would be batting at six with those numbers. And yet you rank him above AbD who is clearly a class above him.

He hasn't performed is definitely a sign of worry but if he worked a bit harder he can definitely get there. You remember he was playing with cramps in his legs back in 2015 at Mumbai and was still somehow managing to clear the boundaries at will that the mental strength he possess and players like him are definitely hard to find. The thing with AB de Villiers is when he performed he performed exceedingly well and when he didn't he would be actually struggling. And Faf does manage to score some odd 30-40 runs even when he struggled with his form. He likes to take on the short ball and would always try to play with full face of the bat and keeps his batting very simple. There is something that has been seriously going wrong with him. Somewhere he has just faded away. I think till 2016 he looked very dependable. And for sure AB de Villiers is way above class of any other player in South Africa when taken all 3 formats together and does have a better record as compared to Du Plessis. But this is about being a dependable batsman at Test level which Faf definitely has in him.

 

[Aalay]

The pace bowling is what has kept me interested in this series. SA have no excuses for their performance here. They've lost to pace here.

I agree with others that this is Rohit's best innings so far given the quality of bowling and the match situation. Rahane has gradually looked like getting back to his best. Since the last two tests in England, he seems to have gradually got his act together and that makes this batting look formidable.

Probably one of the best home series that I have watched and enjoyed after that NZ series in 2016. Most of the players stood up at various times and contributed to the victory. It wasn't dominated by spinners and we played on good wickets which also keeps our fast bowlers interested. It was an absolute joy to watch Shami and Umesh in this series. South Africa were just blown away in every aspect and we didn't even have Bumrah. As I said in my last post, if we are playing 3 fast bowlers in a test in India next season, my choices would be Bumrah, Shami and Umesh. I love Ishant 2.0 but I feel he won't be as effective in India as he will be when we go overseas.

 

[Elite101]

Congratulations to India for winning
But the real test of India will be Overseas

 

[Aalay]

I don't they would look to have him now.

If the management has some sense, he should be our 5th bowler in test matches that we play in SENA countries. Basically play Jadeja and Hardik depending on the pitch condition. Ashwin would be my number 1 spinner.

Playing in SENA:

Rohit
Mayank
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Hardik
Ashwin
Saha
Ishant
Shami
Bumrah

Playing in India, Sri Lanka, WI

Rohit
Mayank
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Saha
Jadeja
Ashwin
Shami
Bumrah
Umesh/Kuldeep/Nadeem (depending on the pitch condition)

 

[Bevab]

My thoughts on the future of both sides after this series.

• Jadeja has shown enough skill with the bat over the past year to show that he is a very handy batsman down at seven, if he has proper batsmen ahead of him. I wouldn’t hesitate to play him at seven even in SENA countries if it allows us to go with four pacers outright.
• Rohit’s true test as an opener awaits him in NZ but he has done his chances no harm at all in this series. Shaw/Gill playing in this XI seems quite a doubt in the near future.
• I would not have Saha in the SENA countries, unless we play both Ashwin and Bhuvi which is unlikely. The extra runs and wicket chances that Pant will miss can be easily compensated by his much superior batting skills and Pant has shown that he is very capable of keeping to pace.
• Rahane looks to be back in form and long may it continue!
• I’m not completely sold on the idea of Umesh as an option in the overseas tours either. He almost always seems to miss the mark when the conditions actually assist him and tends to bowl one too many deliveries on the legside. He is also a different bowler with the new ball and the old ball. In a lineup with Ishant and Bumrah, it is pretty unlikely that he gets the new ball even if he is most effective with it.
• Bhuvi being limited to a white ball specialist is a shame. Maybe his fitness issues are far more serious than what is known. For one, he has always tended to bowl a lot slower after an injury layoff for quite a while and has also been frequently injured too. But if his fitness is fine, it makes no sense to have him on the fringes of the test side as I rate him as the third best Indian pacer in helpful conditions, not to mention his very useful batting ability down the order.
• Hardik shouldn’t be anywhere near the side for now. His bowling isn’t consistent or accurate enough and his technique is still suspect. I highly rate his grit and believe that he can be a good test cricketer if he works on it, but he is nothing more than a luxury in the current side who will occasionally win you games with the odd fifer or quickfire fifty. The Indian team can afford that in home conditions but in SENA territory? I do not think so.

This will probably be my playing XI for the NZ tour, assuming that things progress as they likely should.

1. Rohit/Gill (if Rohit shows that he cannot deal with the early swing)
2. Mayank
3. Pujara
4. Kohli
5. Rahane/Vihari (if Vihari shows that he can score big)
6. Pant
7. Jadeja
8. Bhuvi/Umesh/Ashwin (Ashwin if it is a flat pitch like the recent ones in NZ, Umesh if the Indian side is willing to open the bowling with him and Bhuvi isn’t there)
9. Ishant
10. Shami/Umesh (again, depends on the conditions plus who takes the new ball)
11. Bumrah

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Rahane/Vihari (if Vihari shows that he can score big)

If I was Kohli, seeing the way Rahane has played after he was dropped in South Africa for sure I won't drop him for the rest of his career.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

I don't think a separate thread is necessary for the discussion of the ODI Series so we can carry on the discussion here itself.

I feel it's yet another boring series where India will get a chance to continue their home dominance. But we can't be sure of that. India haven't played much of ODI since the last World Cup and they haven't looked that good either. Actually speaking they have looked scratchy in this format since the World Cup. The Proteas are going through an all-time low in all 3 formats of the game so it's a tough task for them to win this time. Maybe things have balanced out a bit with India's poor form off late ?

I predict a 2-1 result in India's favour with that boasting from Ravi Shastri to follow.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

Although, we never know what kind of upset Proteas would pull out. The recent ODI against Australia is a prime example of them being still able to put teams under pressure with their all round performance despite their failures.

 

[A.P Haux]

Congratulations to India for winning
But the real test of India will be Overseas

After the NZ tour, Its safe to say that India have failed the test. They need to stop bunking the lectures and start concentrating on the things that are actually neccesary to pass the tests I think. The new RSA under de kock is impressive. Waiting to see their performance in India.

 

[NILAYSHAH60]

After looking at the venues for the series I am afraid the we might lose this series. Dharamsala would definitely be swinging considering its only early March. Seeing the recent performance in the ODI and Test series in New Zealand I think we are more likely to falter. Also in Lucknow the pitch would be brand new which again the Indian side isn't used to playing. Slightly different track and they are confused about how they are going to go about their innings. Either they are too defensive or there are some unnecessary strokes being played. In Kolkata we haven't done that well in recent times. Last 5 matches we have managed to win 3 and have lost 2, so can't really predict over here as well. Slight change in my prediction, I rate South Africa ahead of India for this series now.

 

[GOKUL RAJ K]

After looking at the venues for the series I am afraid the we might lose this series. Dharamsala would definitely be swinging considering its only early March. Seeing the recent performance in the ODI and Test series in New Zealand I think we are more likely to falter. Also in Lucknow the pitch would be brand new which again the Indian side isn't used to playing. Slightly different track and they are confused about how they are going to go about their innings. Either they are too defensive or there are some unnecessary strokes being played. In Kolkata we haven't done that well in recent times. Last 5 matches we have managed to win 3 and have lost 2, so can't really predict over here as well. Slight change in my prediction, I rate South Africa ahead of India for this series now.

We too don't Have Rohit Sharma