During the Third Test against Sri Lanka, the BCCI (Board for Control of Cricket in India) announced the team for the tough South Africa cricket tour. The Indian team has dominated world cricket for the last two years under Virat Kohli and are enjoying a winning spree. They have emulated the Australians by winning nine series in a row. India has never won in South Africa, even when Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were in the team. This time, Kohli hopes to balance the record books by beating the Proteas on their home ground. The present Indian team is the strongest to tour South Africa with a strong batting line up and good pace bowlers and world-class spinners.
The selection committee headed by MSK Prasad has announced a 17 member team which will play three test matches, six ODI, and three T-20 matches. It is a tough tour as Yahoo news has reported.
South Africa tour
India will be touring abroad after a gap of 17 months. During this period they have not lost a series. India has never won in South Africa as the hard bouncy pitches were not to the liking of the Indian team. One will recollect that in one of the tests in a fiery exhibition of fast bowling by Alan Donald, the Indian great Sachin Tendulkar was clean bowled twice by sheer speed.
Beating the Proteas on the home ground is a tough task but with the world best batsman Virat Kohli leading the team, the tables could be turned this time.
Along with Kohli, the batting line-up includes Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Ajinkya Rahane. The spin department is headed by Aswin who is the fastest to 300 wickets in world cricket and Rajendra Jadeja. The pace attack is potent with four pace bowlers Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma. Most of the 17 member squad, however, will be touring SA for the first time.
The veteran MS Dhoni will be back as a stumper for the ODI and T-20 matches. He has become a living legend in the shorter format of the game.
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar, the Indian cricketing legend writing in the Hindustan Times has said that winning abroad is more important and has asked Kohli not to allow his naturally aggressive instincts to be curtailed.
He has opined this is the best time to win a series in South Africa.
Controversy
A sad omission from the team is Karun Nair, the man who hit a triple century against England just two seasons back. His omission has something to do with reasons that are not connected with cricket. Perhaps somebody wants to suppress the career of the young Indian, who is only the second Indian to have hit a triple century after Shewag. Will Kohli answer?
