IND vs SA | Mayank Agarwal can be a good option to bat at number 3, says Saba Karim

12/08/2021

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Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has opined that Mayank Agarwal can be a good option to bat at number 3 for the South Africa series as he can handle the pacers and attack the spinners as well. Saba further added that it is time to give new players a chance to play against South Africa.

India recently won a two match Test series by 1-0 against New Zealand winning the Mumbai Test by 372 runs. Several of the first-choice players were not playing in the series as the likes of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were handed a rest. Shreyas Iyer was impressive in the series becoming the first Indian cricketer to score a hundred and follow it up with a fifty on Test debut as he scored 105 and 65 in respective innings of the Kanpur Test.

Axar Patel played a crucial role in bowling as well as batting. Mayank Agarwal was also brilliant with the bat as he was the highest run-scorer of the series. He registered scores of 150 and 62 in the Mumbai Test. Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has praised Agarwal saying that he can be a good option to bat at number 3 as he can handle the pace well and can also attack the spinners.

“When a player has played domestic cricket for 4-5 years, then he knows how to counter spinners well. He can be a good option for the number 3 spot as he can deal with seamers with the new ball while also being able to attack the spinners,” he said on his Youtube channel.

The form of two senior batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Chetshwar Pujara has been an issue of concern for Team India for a long time. This has been a major problem while touring away form home, and the lack of runs in the middle order might put pressure on the lower order. Now selectors will have a selection headache selecting the squad for South Africa as these two batsmen are out of form and the new players have performed well in the New Zealand series. Karim opined that it is time to give new players a chance.

“There should be stability in the top-order. If players batting at number 3, 4, and 5 aren't scoring runs regularly, then the lower-order will be under pressure. If you are playing against a strong blowing attack, then they would not let you hang in there in such cases. Either you wait for your main players to come back to form or you will have to give chances to newer players. I think the time has come to give new players a chance,” he commented.

India will be touring South Africa next for three Tests and three ODIs beginning from December 26.