VISAKHAPATNAM: Wherever you look, Visakhapatnam looks damp. It is impossible to rule out the possibility of rain any moment of the day.
It has been pouring at night and on Monday, the port city woke up to persistent rain that threatened to ruin the practice sessions of India and South Africa ahead of the first Test of the Freedom Series starting on Wednesday.
South Africa gambled and headed for the ACA-VDCA YS Rajasekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium in the morning. Although the rain stayed away and the practice pitches were under covers, the outfield was still very damp. But the visitors could hardly afford to skip a practice session two days before a Test. It said a thing or two about the difficult task that lies ahead of them.
If the Proteas appeared to show intent, the Indians were all about themselves in the afternoon. With rain forecast for Tuesday morning, this might well have been their last training session before the Test and they ensured they used every minute of it.
Apart from the customary look at the pitch — which is expected to get slower as the Test progresses — they were also working on the combination.
Recent trend has seen India go back to the four-bowler strategy, a tried and tested formula that Virat Kohli was not very fond of until recently. Hanuma Vihari’s arrival and the absence of Hardik Pandya has made this decision easier.
“It depends on the conditions and the wicket what combination we go in with.. Hanuma can contribute with the ball and that makes a difference in India because you hardly see three fast bowlers and a fast bowling all-rounder playing here,” vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said.
India are likely to make three changes to the XI that crushed the West Indies in Jamaica. They are looking to strengthen the batting. Jasprit Bumrah’s injury means Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami will form the pace duo. Ravichandran Ashwin will replace Bumrah and form the spin pair with Ravindra Jadeja. That Rohit Sharma will take KL Rahul’s place is already a given.
The biggest change is expected behind the stumps. During the training session, Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant both went through their usual routines and it was hard to tell who would make the cut. But given the conditions and the criticism Pant bas been receiving, the team management is keen on including Saha for the Tests against South Africa.
The 34-year-old’s last Test was also against South Africa, in Cape Town in 2018, and after recovering from a shoulder injury he was recently included in the squad for the Tests in the Caribbean.
While there was a temptation to include him in the XI, India reposed faith in Pant considering the space he was in and hoped he would be among the runs. But with that not happening and keeping in mind the conditions in India, Kohli & Co are understood to be thinking of resting Pant.
There is a thought that spending time away will help Pant, as team management is also keeping an eye on his workload. Moreover, he still remains a work in progress as far as keeping against spinners in home conditions is concerned.
While batting in recent times hasn’t helped his cause, India don’t see that as a huge concern.
In the two Tests he played against West Indies last year, Pant had difficulties in reading the turn and struggled with gathering at times, something the team is not ready to gamble on, given the stakes involved with regards to ICC Test Championship points.