South Africa vs India 2018: 5 player battles to look out for in SA-IND Test series

#4 Ishant Sharma vs Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis will look to lead from the front.

South African skipper Faf du Plessis will be itching to take the field and lead the Proteas in the first Test after being out of action for more than 2 months. He was in very good form before he injured his back. His last three innings (against Bangladesh) saw scores of 26 not out, 81 and 135 not out. Hence, he would’ve been disappointed to miss the game against Zimbabwe.

Ishant Sharma has found his rhythm back after a successful Ranji Trophy season where he took 20 wickets in 4 games. He looked very good in the two games he played against Sri Lanka as well. Hence, with all his experience, he will have a major role to play in the middle overs of the South African innings.

Ishant has the ability to generate extra bounce which can trouble the South African skipper. Ben Stokes exploited that in England in July last year. He also falls prey to the incoming delivery and hence could be a candidate for LBW as well. These are also Ishant Sharma’s strengths and thus, he will be looking to knock over Faf du Plessis early.