CHENNAI: Lost amid all the noise during Virat Kohli’s pre-departure press conference ahead of the tour of South Africa last month was his assertion that they were capable of doing ‘something special’ in the Rainbow Nation. Something special like winning a first Test series in 30 years of travelling.
“We are very well placed in terms of experience, belief and confidence that this time around we can do something special and get the results that we want as a team,” he had said. “South Africa is one place where we have not won a series yet. So we are very motivated to do that. And the mindset is always to go there and win a series in any country that we play.”
It’s in that prism that the third Test, beginning at Cape Town on Tuesday, will be played in. In Isolation, it’s a decider. When you consider the bigger picture, this team’s overseas legacy is on the line. It’s not hyperbole to say that. Since leaving South Africa three years ago, they have won everywhere barring New Zealand.
They have beaten West Indies in West Indies, gotten the better of Australia twice and lead England in England. The seeds for such a dominating run away from home — in an era where most teams have struggled to win in foreign conditions — was of course sowed in the third Test of the 2018 series at the Wanderers. It may have been a ‘dead rubber’ but Kohli & Co. used that win as a platform to create an uncompromising winning machine.
Now, that machine faces perhaps its biggest test at a venue where India have not won in five attempts. In fact, the hosts have a good record at Cape Town, where they have lost only twice (England and Australia) in the last 19 attempts.
In terms of team news, the visitors have received a big boost as well as a setback. While Kohli will lead the side, he confirmed as much during the pre-match press conference on Monday, pacer Mohammed Siraj, who suffered a hamstring niggle during the second Test, has not recovered.
Those two pieces of information, then, is the best place to start. To replace Siraj, they will either bring in Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav. Both offer contrasting advantages but Kohli claimed the management was yet to decide about who would get the nod.
“We are yet to sit down,” he said. “Myself, head coach (Rahul Dravid) and vice-captain (KL Rahul) yet to decide… I say that because of the bench strength. It’s difficult for us to figure out who will play because everyone is at the top of their game… these things become a point of discussion. You have to obviously have a health discussion around that and agree. But I would rather be in this position.”
Focus on middle-order, again
The bigger discussion, though, will likely focus on the side’s middle-order composition. With Kohli coming in, it’s likely one batter will have to sit out. Considering it’s a given that the visitors will not change their five bowlers template come what may, one of Hanuma Vihari, Ajinkya Rahane or Cheteshwar Pujara could be forced to run the drinks.
With Rishabh Pant also battling an extended period of indifferent form (averages under 20 since the final of the World Test Championship), that’s four batting slots with not too many runs in recent times (the trio of Kohli, Rahane and Pujara together contribute below 90 since that final against the Kiwis).
If one were to read between the lines, the visitors may well go with the tried and tested combination of Kohli sandwiched between Pujara and Rahane. “I obviously cannot pinpoint when we will have a transition,” he said.
“It cannot be forced by individuals, I feel. If you look at the last Test, both Jinks (Rahane) and Pujara, the way they batted, that experience is obviously priceless for us, especially in series like these where you know the guys have done the job in the past. I think we should leave the transition to unfold itself and not necessarily force individuals in difficult situations.”
Whoever they pick, the challenges will be similar to the ones they faced at Centurion and Johannesburg. The strip is expected to have pace — SA skipper Dean Elgar said as much — so the onus is on the batters to complement the bowlers. If they can do that, India might have a decent chance of ticking a long-held Test dream. Winning a Test series on South African soil.