Strong message at the start
India won
3
South Africa won
Draw on the track and India have decided to go with two off-spinners—ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Till a year back, Ashwin would have been India’s automatic choice as the No.1 spinner but times have changed, and Kohli seemed to make it clear. “Wherever the conditions provide us to go with two spinners, Ash is always going to be a threat. In home conditions with his batting ability and the way he bowls, he is always going to be starting with Jadeja. That was a no brainer for us,” he said.
In the last Test series in the Windies, Ashwin warmed the bench with Jadeja playing as the lone spinner. “Ashwin and Jadeja both will start here. Jaddu we felt was in a better zone as far as performing overseas and (looking at) what he has done in the past season for the team. From that point of view, he started in the West Indies.”
Ashwin did not finish the England and Australia series. He broke down in the fourth Test at Southampton and missed the final game at the Oval. In Australia, he again broke down, this time in the first Test to be ruled out of the next three matches. The off-spinner now has a point to prove. The sight of a young South African side would only make Ashwin hungry.
The same cannot be said about Rohit Sharma. Having been given another opportunity to prove his worth in Tests, this time as opener, Sharma knows how important the series will be. A home contest won’t allow him to breathe easy as he will face Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada—both have dismissed the batsman three times each.
To Sharma’s benefit, Kohli indicated he will be given a long run to settle into the new position. “This (Sharma as opener) has been discussed for a long time now. In one-day cricket, it was the same. He played in the middle order, but then suddenly opening conversation happened and within six to eight months, he was opening the innings. And you know what happened afterwards,” Kohli said.
“We’re not looking to rush him at all. It’s about him finding his game accordingly because in India it’s going to be a different practice that you follow, abroad is going to be different. So, opening is a slot where you have to give a player space to understand his game. So yeah, we’re in no rush.”