IND vs SA | India’s Predicted XI for the first ODI in Dharamsala
BCCI
India’s answer to Newlands, HPCI Cricket Stadium in Dharamsala is a wanderlust’s paradise. It is where the state’s money is made, with the tourism sector booming day by day as corporate culture takes precedence in southern parts of India - Bangalore and Hyderabad being the two most copious entities.
Openers
Prithvi Shaw: After getting starts and squandering them one after another, the Mumbaikar is all set to partner a new opener this time - Shikhar Dhawan, with whom he played in the Delhi Capitals last year, will be the senior one. Mayank Agarwal, who after three games for India in the coloured clothing, has been dropped this time and that will give Shaw another sense of belonging that the team management still trusts his ability. However, with Shubman Gill waiting in the wings and Rohit Sharma set to return following IPL, anything other than a good performance won’t suffice. But in reality, there is a far bigger opportunity in place considering he will have the responsibility of playing out the first few overs, which has not always been the easiest of propositions at the venue over the years.
Shikhar Dhawan: After being injured in the last ODI against Australia in Bengaluru, Dhawan returns to the international fold for the first time. He had a modest showing with the bat in the recently-concluded DY Patil Invitational Corporate tournament, but he has always been a different beast everytime he returns to the squad after an injury. Dhawan will be eager to put on a show against South Africa, especially knowing that the India A openers like Agarwal, Shaw and Gill are on the radar for a permanent place more than ever. A good series here will keep him ahead in the pecking order.
Middle Order
Virat Kohli: It is not always you doubt the credentials of a champion cricketer like Virat Kohli nor does he give you a chance to pounce on his frailties. However, that is a reality now, with the Indian skipper undergoing a low in his career, after averaging just 9.50 in the Test series against New Zealand. But ODIs are always his calling card and something that breaks himself free of all the mental demons - Dharamsala will give him an opportunity to break the shell and start scoring truckloads of runs he has always been famous for. Trust me, anything other than that will be an aberration.
Shreyas Iyer: One of the biggest positives from the ODI series in New Zealand is the form of Shreyas Iyer. The maturity with which the Mumbai No.4 batted in the ODIs, alongside KL Rahul, talked up his evolution as a cricketer from the brash no-holds-barred striker of the ball. He was efficient in calculation during run-chase and even though Virat Kohli was behind the eight ball, Iyer made up for it with substance. As he returns to the arena of his ODI debut three years ago, trust him to deliver like a pro.
KL Rahul: Couple of failures against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy aside, KL Rahul was definitely at its classy best in the entire tour of New Zealand. He scored as an opener, he scored as a No.5, dived around to take catches for fun and what fun it was really to see him putting his burden behind to enjoy his game. I will be really surprised if Rahul doesn’t gobble a few catches behind the stumps and then ensures a flying finish with the bat against South Africa. Trust Dharamshala wicket to put a dampener but you follow memes right?
All-rounders
Hardik Pandya: All eyes will be on the returning Indian all-rounder after a long long wait for his comeback. It is only prudent that he is back in the side after blasting his way to two centuries in the typical Hardik Pandya fashion during the DY Patil Corporate Cup in Mumbai. His presence will also mean the team will have the option of playing one more bowler, with Pandya doubling up as the third pacer. That means Manish Pandey will have to sit out of the squad - harsh but such has been the importance of having Hardik Pandya in the side.
Ravindra Jadeja: Chastise Sourav Ganguly for how much you want but you can’t argue against his philosophy for real, with Jadeja being the major string-puller for India, at least in the ODIs. He has not been among runs but his ability to keep things under check and then fly in the outfield as a spectacular fielder means Jadeja will get a go once again ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. That balance is invaluable considering Pandya is always a fragile batsman to be trusted upon.
Bowlers
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The Uttar Pradesh pacer is returning to the side for the first time after sustaining an injury in the T20 series against West Indies and will be eager to go out there. The mountain air of Dharamsala aids his bowling a fair bit and he will try to take inspiration from the way Suranga Lakmal ran through the Indian batting line-up at the same venue in 2017. That he is returning to the side after a long hiatus, the expectations from him should be realistic as well.
Navdeep Saini: Saini made him a stand-out bowler in the limited-overs matches in India and even rose to become a perfect foil for Mohammed Shami. Given the fact that the BCCI rested the Bengal pacer for the series, Saini will have a bigger role to play in complementing the contrasting styles of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. He knows Dharamsala wicket to a greater extent, bowling in the north for the entirety of his career, something that will keep him in good stead as the series comes calling.
Jasprit Bumrah: The Australia and New Zealand ODIs might have been very disappointing for the Gujarat pacer, with a total of one wicket from six ODIs, but we are talking about one of the massive figures in Indian cricket. When Bumrah holds the ball in his hands, he can do everything none else can and that is the might of the Boom. South Africa have always been on the wrong side of Bumrah masterclass and in case it gets to that, Bumrah will love to relive the past and get on the top of things again.
Yuzvendra Chahal: The intuition has made Yuzvendra Chahal a valuable commodity in the Indian line-up, with Kuldeep Yadav being put on the bench for a longer time. The presence of Ravindra Jadeja makes up for a holding bowler, with Chahal striking in the middle overs. It will be an important aspect on which the game at the HPCA International Stadium in Dharamsala will have a lot of bearing on. Chahal, however, will be under pressure to be the wrecker in chief in the middle overs, due to Shami’s absence. But that has hardly mattered a bit for the leg-spinner from Rohtak where he has almost similar conditions throughout the year.
