DHAWAN FIT, JADEJA DOWN WITH ILLNESS
Cape Town, Jan. 3: Shikhar Dhawan has been declared fit while Ravindra Jadeja is down with viral “illness” ahead of the first Test against South Africa. Dhawan, who had suffered an ankle injury before flying out to South Africa, is set to open alongside Murali Vijay in the series opener at Newlands. Jadeja, however, is racing against time to be fully fit for the game and has been taken to the hospital for treatment. “The BCCI medical team has been monitoring him and is also in touch with the local medical team in Cape Town,” said a statement.
“BCCI team has decided that Jadeja will be taken to a hospital for treatment and expects him to fully recover in the next 48 hrs. A decision on his availability for selection for the opening Test against South Africa will be taken on the morning of the match ( Friday),” it added. This will be Virat Kohli’s toughest test yet. South Africa is as different from India in the cricketing sense as chalk and cheese. This is one country that has defied India’s best efforts to win a Test series for a clear 26 years since the Indians became the first tourists to be welcomed to the reborn Republic after being shorn of apartheid. The playing conditions are not anathema to strong Indian teams equipped with quick bowlers who can move the ball around. But they call for team work that has been beyond India’s reach despite sending some of the finest sets of batsmen.
Kohli’s team has a great chance to break the jinx as the young and determined side has an arsenal of fast bowlers who are quick as well as clever and who can move the ball substantially off the pitch, which is what really counts in those conditions. The home side prefers hard pitches, but their curators use so much moisture in making the playing surfaces there that the ball can move around noticeably for a couple of days or more. Africa. “India have one of the best attacks in the world. In fact, I don’t think the Indian teams of the past could boast of an attack like the current one.
It is probably the best I have seen in the last 60- 70 years,” Prasanna said.
With the bowling arsenal possessed by India, Prasanna said they have all the most reason to go in with five bowlers in the playing XI. However, India are likely to go into the series opener with three pacers and a spinner.
“I have always believed five bowlers are must if you want to win the game.”
R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are the two spinners and in all probability only one of them will feature in the first Test.
“Ashwin is an automatic selection in this case. He is good with the bat as well. I noticed during the Sri Lanka series, Jadeja was bowling like a stock bowler. He was not as effective as he used to be,” said the 77- year- old.