IND vs SA 2018: Lalchand Rajput speaks on India's chances in South Africa

Rajput believes India needs to take 20-wickets to win a Test in South Africa.

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Lalchand Rajput - former Team India Manager, is confident that Virat Kohli and his team are able to record their historic Test victory in South Africa by playing with their current temperament. He also said that Kohli’s aggression and Team’s crush-the-opponent approach will make their way easy to hammer the Proteas at their own backyard next month in a Test series.

Virat Kohli-led Indian Cricket team all set to leave for South Africa in the last week of December, and will play three-Tests, six-ODIs and three-Twenty20 International series, starting from January 5.

Speaking to PTI, Lalchand Rajput said, “The way the Indian team is playing, they are playing tough cricket. With Virat Kohli being the leader, the aggression which he shows, seems to be imbibed in other players too and they want to win at any cost. They want to crush the opponents.”

Noteworthy, Indian Team have not won any Test series in South Africa thus far, but the 56-year-old former Mumbai opener believes that Virat Kohli and his team have the potential to break the jinx, predicting a 2-1 win in favour of the touring side at Proteas soil.

He further added that India needs to take 20 wickets to win a Test match and he is confident that the “dangerous Indian bowlers” are able to take that South African wicket at their own backyard and play a crucial role in the Test series.

Rajput further added on the same, “This is the team that would do wonders and I am hopeful that they will do really well in South Africa. To win a Test match, we need to take 20 wickets. We have the bowlers who can take 20 (South African) wickets. Bhuvneswar Kumar is in peak form, Umesh Yadav has done exceptionally well, (Mohammad) Shami, after injury, is bowling superbly. If they get a little bit of help from the wickets then these bowlers are dangerous.”

He further explained, “Because if you have to take 20 wickets, you have got to have five bowlers, it might be three medium-pacers, an all-rounder and one spinner or it can be two medium-pacers, an all-rounder and two spinners, depending on the pitch conditions.”

On being asked about Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who has been continuously struggling to find his form with the bat, Rajput said, “For any batsman, who has done so well on foreign soil, it is just one step away from a big score. He had a very bad series in the last couple of months. But he is such a good player, if he spends time in the middle, I want him to spend more time in the middle, forget about scoring runs.”

He concluded, “He has to be there (at the crease) for an hour, once he is there for an hour, automatically his batting form will come. He just has to spend time and the first game will be crucial for him.”

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 19 Dec, 2017

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