Vern will take one for team
FINAL TEST: SA, INDIA CONSIDERING ALL-SEAM ATTACK
There has been plenty of talk about South Africa going into the third Test against India starting at the Wanderers tomorrow with an extra batsman, but Vernon Philander (below) said yesterday that his approach will stay the same, whether he is filling the important No 7 position or dropping down to eight.
Theunis de Bruyn could come in for just his fourth Test match, replacing Keshav Maharaj, as South Africa take advantage of the seam-friendly conditions at the Wanderers with just a fourpronged pace attack.
De Bruyn can provide a couple of overs of serviceable medium-pace.
“Seven is a bigger responsibility but I’m up for the challenge and I still go about my batting the same way whether I’m at seven or eight, there’s not a massive difference.
“It worked perfectly in England and I quite enjoy the challenge. It’s not gone quite so well here, but conditions have not been very conducive to batting, and I just have to keep my eye out for the run-outs,” Philander said.
As for the change to the attack, with the spinner being left out, Philander said whatever the make-up of the team, the Proteas were guaranteed to bring the same intensity even with the series already won.
“We usually use predominantly a pace bowling attack here, but Keshav has done a massive job for us, he allows us to strike at the other end by keeping it tight. And he can be a strike bowler as well, he’s taken some crucial wickets for us.”
The veteran seamer was also delighted that South Africa’s investment in another young fast bowler in Lungi Ngidi had paid off so spectacularly at Centurion.
“Lungi is a phenomenal talent and he asks a lot of questions, he takes it all in, he’s willing to learn and he learns quickly. It’s wonderful that South African cricket has so many bowlers in the pipeline,” Philander, who will play his 50th Test yesterday, said.
Former Proteas captain Graeme Smith nearly always wanted a spinner in whatever starting XI he led on to the field, but South Africa’s most successful skipper believes this week’s third Test at the Wanderers against India could be one of those rare occasions when an all-pace attack is necessary.
Slow left-armer Keshav Maharaj has become near-indispensable to the Test team, with 57 wickets in 16 Tests, but none of them have been at the Wanderers, with the 27-year-old being left out there against Sri Lanka last year.
“The weather forecast says there will be a lot of showers through the week so we’ll proba- bly lose a few overs every day. So I expect South Africa not to play a spinner, but pick an extra batsman instead, unless they arrive on the first morning and see the pitch is flat.
“There’s always a bit in the Wanderers surface and runs on the board are very important, plus the spinners never really play a matchwinning role there, they normally just bowl a few overs. I expect India to do the same and leave out Ravichandran Ashwin,” Smith said yesterday.
Former Indian captain and fellow opening batsman great, Sunil Gavaskar, agreed that the tourists would also go the all-pace route.
“I hear India are going to do the same and play an extra batsman instead of Ashwin. Indian cricket is now more seam-oriented, it’s a much more balanced team, and in a Test overseas you generally want six specialist batsmen. Although he has struggled for form recently, Ajinkya Rahane has such a good record overseas and he would certainly be in my XI,” Gavaskar said.
Smith, who had to change his captaincy style as he gained more experience after being handed the reins when he was practically the youngest player in the side, said the individual brilliance of Virat Kohli was possibly hurting the Indian team when it came to getting the best out of the sum of the parts of the XI.
“Virat’s an outstanding player, his performances speak for themselves, and his intensity benefits his own game, it brings the best out of him. But sometimes as a leader you have to consider how you are impacting others and I believe he can grow in that regard.
“He’s always at his players and the way he reacts to situations can impact negatively on the team. Virat’s very powerful in Indian cricket, he’s built an aura for himself, but he needs to be able to connect with all his players and get the best out of his team. I think he’s grappling with that now,” said Smith, whose 53 Test wins as captain are the most in the history of the game.