Image Credit- PTI
With Ravindra Jadeja fit and available for selection,
India will have greater options for bowling combinations as well as batting
depth. Aside from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, he is also the lone left-handed
batter. Due to upper back spasms the morning of the match, Jadeja was unable to
participate in the previous Test.
While confirming Jadeja’s return to fitness, Rohit
Sharma spoke of the importance of judging inexperienced bowlers too harshly.
“Although we’ve had a brief chat with the management, the coaching staff
about what we want from this game, and what we want from the bowlers in this
game, we’ve not completely finalised our playing XI. Everyone is available for
selection. There’s no injury concern. All of them who are here are available to
play. We’ll sit down in the evening and decide what is the right one.
“Having said that, I still feel that, sometimes
we’ve got a little bit of inexperience in our bowling, and sometimes when you
have that, you’ve got to show some faith in them, show trust in them, and that
can happen to any team. Like I said in the last post-match press-conference [in
Centurion] about Prasidh [Krishna] playing his first game, we all get nervous
when you are playing your first game. It’s understandable, but I thought, and
I’ll still back that thought of mine, that he’s got good ability to succeed at
this level and especially in this format. So it’s just about showing faith and
trust in everyone and getting the job done from them.”
In addition to Krishna, Shardul Thakur underperformed
with the ball in the opening Test in his eleventh Test. With Jadeja’s comeback,
it becomes possible to use two spinners because R Ashwin is a better batsman
than Thakur.
But the circumstances might not lend credence to that
theory. When asked if he thought things would be less hostile towards India in
Cape Town, Rohit responded negatively.
“You know, the conditions look pretty similar to
what it was. I mean, the pitch looks similar to what it was in Centurion, maybe
not so much grass, but there is enough covering of grass on the pitch.
“But yeah, the overhead conditions will matter. I
think it’s pretty hot here compared to Centurion, which was a little cooler the
first two days. Again, when we played last time here, 2018 and ’21… I wasn’t
here in ’21, but the guys were telling me it was pretty similar conditions. We
know exactly what is required when the conditions are like that. Based on the
pitches, how the conditions are, you gotta respond to that.”