Resurgent India ready for Rajkot challenge against South Africa

“We are very confident after the way we bowled in the last match. They (South Africa) are a good side and we have plans for every individual,” medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar told a news conference on Saturday, referring to the performance by India’s bowling unit in defending a modest target of 247.

“If you see, the spinners and pacers are complementing each other really well. As a bowling unit you get a lot of confidence if the spinners and pacers are bowling as a team. If the medium pacers are having a tough time, the spinners do a good job to restrict the runs and pick wickets. There is overall support from all the bowlers,” added the swing bowler, who played a key role in the Indore win picking up 3 wickets.

Skipper Mahendra Dhoni’s return to form has provided impetus to the team. The under-fire skipper struck an undefeated 92 to lift the team to a challenging score from 124-6, and then marshaled his bowling resources spectacularly to pull off a stunning win. Harbhajan Singh, replacing an injured Ravichandran Ashwin, and Axar Patel shared five wickets.

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane are in good form, but the lack of runs from the blades of Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina is a cause for concern for India.

The curator at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium has predicted a belter of a pitch and also said that dew would play minimal role in the match given the prevailing dry conditions.

Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti threaten game disruption

The organisers, though, have a different problem to contend with, following the threat of game disruption issued by Hardik Patel’s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). The party has stated that they would use the match as a platform for their ongoing agitation for reservation. Security is expected to be tighter in view of this threat.

The match will commence at 13:30 IST tomorrow ( October 17).

Squads:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohit Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh.

South Africa: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf Du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Chris Morris, Khaya Zondo, Aaron Phangiso, Imran Tahir, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada.