India vs South Africa 2015: India should pick KL Rahul, and use Jadeja depending on the pitch

KL Rahul had a mixed tour of Sri Lanka, but showed signs of promise

“In the practice match against South Africa, it was KL Rahul who was India’s best batsman – he scored 72 in the first innings, and followed it up with a 43* in the second. It is therefore not wrong to say that he is the most in-form opener India have at the moment”

After the defeat in the limited overs series, India are once again on the rise. They didn’t have a good T20 series, and had major batting collapses at crucial junctures in the one-dayers, but they would be looking to produce a good performance in the Test series, which begins on November 5 at Mohali.

The result of the limited overs series would not concern the players as they have had good run in the longer format of the game. They also won a Test series in Sri Lanka after 22 years under Virat Kohli, but it’s going to be a different challenge for Kohli as they would be facing the World’s No.1 ranked Test team at home soil.

The biggest challenge for Virat Kohli would be to decide on the opening combination for the Tests, and also the team composition. When it comes to the opening department, Murali Vijay has been in good form, and KL Rahul, in his very short career, has scored couple of Test hundreds, but the problem is with Shikhar Dhawan’s form. Will Kohli look to stick to the Vijay-Dhawan combination? Or will he look at a long-term plan, and pick KL Rahul as Vijay’s opening partner?

Dhawan’s problems in technique and the long-term investment

India should look to pick KL Rahul as the opener along with Murali Vijay as he requires a fair amount of chances to establish himself as a Test batsman. Shikhar Dhawan has already had his chances to prove his ability in the Test side, but he was dropped twice in England, and once in Australia owing to poor form. Thus, India will have to invest on KL Rahul for the upcoming Test matches as he can prove to be handy in overseas conditions.

Dhawan’s limitation in Test matches could be exploited more easily by quality fast bowlers than in one-dayers. He has big a problem with nicking the ball outside off-stump, and also has a problem with handling incoming deliveries. Looking at the venues for the Test matches, only in Nagpur and Delhi India can get dusty pitches, where there won’t be proper assistance for fast bowlers. However, in Mohali and Bangalore, the wickets may aid pacers, and there would be some movement off the surface at Bangalore. That’s where Shikhar Dhawan would find it difficult as he has got limited footwork, and doesn’t get close to the ball while playing a shot.

This is the scenario where KL Rahul could be handy. He has the ability and technique to the play the new ball and it’s also the right time to get him introduced to various conditions. Once he gets used to various conditions, he would be better prepared when India kick-off their next overseas assignment in 2017.

Jadeja needs to be used wisely

Another challenge for Virat Kohli would be to decide on the composition of the side. He strongly believes in playing with five specialist bowlers, but with Ravindra Jadeja in the squad, Kohli will have some tough decisions to take.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use Jadeja depending on the nature of surface, as India has two in-form spinners who can do the job. Ravi Ashwin is on top of his game, and has always been instrumental for India at home conditions and Amit Mishra has also been in good form following the Sri Lanka tour. The duo also has the capability to take pitch conditions out of the equation, while Ravi Jadeja would be predictable on non-responsive surfaces and hence, it is important for India to use Jadeja to his strength.

Jadeja will be an asset for India when playing on sluggish wickets, or on rank turners. An ideal example would be his performance against Australia in 2013 at home, where he was brilliant in running through Australia’s middle order. Australia found it quite tricky to handle him as the ball was turning squarer, and thus, it would be sensible to use Jadeja depending on the wicket.

Overall, India have the resources to win the Test series, but it all depends on what sort of wicket they get. If India wants to have an easier series, the pitches will have to turn, or else South Africa will dominate this series.