Rahul: India face tough selection call for Day Test
KL Rahul says India face a "very, very difficult decision" over who bats at number five in the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park.
Rahul, vice-captain in the absence of the injured Rohit Sharma, gave a strong indication that the tourists will persist with playing five bowlers in the Boxing Day Test behind closed doors in Centurion.
He said: "I think more teams have started playing [five bowlers], because, you know, every team wants to pick up 20 wickets, and that's the only way you can win a Test match.
"We've definitely used that tactic, and it's helped us in every Test match that we've played away from India. I think the workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers, and when you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it."
That will leave Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, and Hanuma Vihari vying for the number five spot.
Rahul conceded India face a selection quandary as they consider who should get the nod.
He added: "It is a very, very difficult decision to make, obviously. Ajinkya has been a very important part of our Test team and has played very, very crucial knocks in his career.
"The last 15-18 months, if I can think back, his knock in Melbourne was really, really crucial; it helped us win a Test match. That partnership with [Cheteshwar] Pujara at Lord's in the second innings where he got a fifty was really important, and that ended up in us winning the Test match.
"So he's been a key player for us in the middle order, and he's a very, very strong player.
"Shreyas obviously has taken his chances. He played a brilliant knock in Kanpur [against New Zealand], got a hundred; so he's very exciting. And Hanuma has done the same for us, so yeah, it's a tough decision.
"But we'll start having a chat today or tomorrow, and you'll get to know [who gets the number five spot] in a couple of days' time."
India have never won a bilateral Test series in South Africa, with the Proteas coming out on top in six out of seven.
The tourists will also be looking for a first victory at SuperSport Park in the longest format, having lost both of their previous matches at the venue, but they have won four consecutive Tests against South Africa.
Source : https://sportlive.appContact : support@sportlive.app
