Sanjay Manjrekar, former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator, has suggested two big changes in Team India's playing XI for the third and final Test against South Africa, starting on January 11 (Tuesday) at the Newlands in Cape Town.
India won the first Test by 113 runs in Centurion, but South Africa made a remarkable comeback in Johannesburg, winning the second Test by 7 wickets to level the ongoing three-match Test series.
With the third and final Test to be played in Cape Town, India will be aiming to win their maiden Test series in South Africa, and Manjrekar has a few suggestions for the tourists ahead of the series decider.
Manjrekar, with a "heavy heart", said that Hanuma Vihari, who made a Test comeback after almost a year in the second Test and scored a brilliant 40* in Johannesburg, will have to make way Virat Kohli, who missed the last match due to an upper back spasm, for the final Test in Cape Town.
However, the commentator further said that it was tough to leave Vihari out and continue with Ajinkya Rahane despite the veteran batter scoring 58 in Johannesburg, given his lean patch with the bat. He was also unsure whether to keep or leave Rahane for the series-deciding Test.
Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo: “With a heavy heart I have to say that I have to leave out Hanuma Vihari to accommodate Virat Kohli with the big turmoil in my head on whether Rahane should be dropped despite a fifty. Because you have to look that the lean patch has lasted for too long, whether that one fifty deserves a kick out of that playing XI is something that I have debated in my mind.”
Well, he also picked the experienced pacer Ishant Sharma as Mohammed Siraj's replacement as his remaining line-up remains the same as in the second Test against South Africa for the final Test.
Siraj suffered a hamstring injury during his run-up to the second Test in Johannesburg, where he could bowl only 15.5 overs against South Africa.
