Steyn and Philander out for Proteas as India welcomes Ishant back for second Test
After defeating the South Africans by 108 runs in the first test at Mohali, Team India is hopeful of another spin- friendly track at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
India welcomes pacer Ishant Sharma, who is back into the team after serving a one– match suspension. With Ishant raring to go, Umesh Yadav is almost certain to miss out on the final eleven. The rest of the bowling line-up is unlikely to see any change with India happy with the five bowlers’ strategy. The onus will once again be on the spin trio of Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra to deliver the wickets.
On the batting side, opener Shikhar Dhawan’s form, however, will be a cause of concern for the Indian team management. After a poor One day series with the bat, Dhawan got a pair in the first test. If the team decides to make a change at the top, then KL Rahul might get a go in front of the home crowd. The form of Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara at the top of the order will please the Indian team.
Having lost the series opener, the Proteas suffered another blow with pace spearhead Dale Steyn ruled out of the match and Vernon Philander set to miss the rest of the series. Philander who injured his ankle in training will be replaced in the squad by fast bowler Kyle Abbott. However, the visitors will be happy to have JP Duminy and Morne Morkel back in the mix after missing the first test.
With Bengaluru being a happy ground for the visiting teams, South Africa will be hoping for better performances from their batsmen. All eyes will be on AB de Villiers who will be playing his 100th test match in the RCB’s home stadium. Captain Amla was confident of De Villiers sparkling for the visitors when he said, “No it (De Villiers’ 100th Test occasion) does not (distract the focus of the team) ... Hopefully, he gets into the park tomorrow and wins the game for us — that will be ideal match for him and us,” to the PTI.
The inexperienced opening duo of Dean Elgar and Stiaan Van Zyl will be the weak spot for the Proteas. The ever reliable captain Hashim Amla along with Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy will form the rest of the middle order.
With India looking to double the lead in the series, the weather will be a primary concern with forecasts predicting rain in Bengaluru for the next few days.
The five-day match will commence at 09.30 IST.
Possible line ups
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan/KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron/ Umesh Yadav
South Africa: Hashim Amla (captain), Dean Elgar, Stiaan van Zyl, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (vice-captain), JP Duminy, Dane Vilas (wk), Simon Harmer, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir
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