India v South Africa 2019: Likely first-team eleven for the hosts in the first Test

#3. All-Rounders (Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin)

Ravichandran Ashwin.

Hanuma Vihari, who was preferred over Rohit Sharma against West Indies, had a point to prove and he did prove himself in the perfect way possible. The batting all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh was the leading run-scorer against Jason Holder’s army and has made his case stronger to get a long run.

The 25-year-old batsman amassed 289 runs with an incredible average of over 96 in the two-match Test series. Hanuma Vihari is a three-dimensional player who can also bowl off-spin if required.

The third-best Test all-rounder in the world at the moment, Ravindra Jadeja, seems to have sealed a permanent slot in the Test team. The 30-year-old all-rounder has improved his batting in this format and is a good spinner to have in the side, especially on Indian decks. The southpaw from Saurashtra averages over 34 with the willow and has scalped 144 wickets in India. The left-arm spinner was the second-highest wicket-taker (23) against the Proteas when the latter toured India the last time.

The spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin who could not find a place in the team in the last series, is still a sure starter at home. The 32-year-old player averages about 30 with the bat and has picked up 234 wickets on the Indian pitches. The experienced off-spinner from Chennai is currently having a good time for Nottinghamshire in the county season. Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker against South Africa in the “Freedom Series” of 2015.