India vs South Africa: Home advantage for Ravindra Jadeja in Test team
Against the backdrop of his two match-winning all-round performances against Tripura and Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy matches this season, Ravindra Jadeja has been picked for the first two Test matches against South Africa. The 26-year-old scored 149 runs at 74.50 and took 24 wickets at an impressive average of 8.25 this Ranji season.
While these wickets have come on a Rajkot track which has predominantly favoured spinners, the Saurashtra player seems to have got the nod keeping in mind the similar the nature of tracks that will be on offer for the four Tests against the Proteas. The big difference, though, will be the quality of the batsmen. As is evident from the T20 and ODI series so far, these tourists aren’t the kind who struggle against the turning ball.
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No extra burden for being an all rounder: Jadeja
Jadeja has always been prolific in home conditions. He has played five of his 12 Tests in India, and played a key role in India’s win over Australia at home two years ago. In the four Tests against the Aussies, he picked up 24 wickets, taking them at an average of 17.45. With India’s Test captain Virat Kohli preferring to play five bowlers, the Indian selection panel led by Sandip Patil felt Jadeja’s all-round abilities would also come in handy. The all-rounder last played a Test match against England in Manchester 14 months ago. He was out of favour in the shorter format as well, having been dropped after the limited-overs Bangladesh series in June. With the absence of a quality young spinner on the domestic circuit, the selectors were left with little option but to include Jadeja.
In the 16-member Test side Jadeja replaces off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. The 35-year-old, who had been out of the Test side for more than two years, made a comeback during the Bangladesh tour in June and played the first Test of the Sri Lanka tour in August.
Meanwhile, leg-spinner Amit Mishra has retained his spot in the Test squad after his 15-wicket burst in three Tests against Sri Lanka recently. Off-spinner Ravichandra Ashwin, who suffered a side strain in the first ODI in Kanpur, has also been included.
