Following the wash out in Bengaluru test , the action now shifts to Jamtha in Nagpur for the third Test between India and South Africa in the ongoing Gandhi-Mandela Series 2015. This will be a crucial Test for Virat Kohli and his men as a win will seal the series for India . While Proteas would be pushing hard to level the series . With Nagpur being on the pace-friendly side, it will not be surprising to see India retaining the same squad which means Ishant Sharma and Stuart Binny might get another opportunity .
On the batting front though Ajinkya Rahane has looked out of sorts in the two innings so far. With Rohit Sharma performing incredibly well in the domestic matches of late, he might get the nod for the third Test. Cheteshwar Pujara has seemed to have made the No. 3 spot his own for the time being and hence it may force Rahane to sit out due to his lack of form. The selectors might however be tempted to retain him for one more Test to see how he goes.
Proteas will be bosletered with the availability of Dale Steyn . The last time India faced South Africa on this ground, Dale Steyn ran through India, claiming 7 for 51 in the first innings and finish the match with 10 to ensure South Africa win the match by an innings. Steyn was not part of the playing XI in Bengaluru but will love to be a part of the Nagpur Test. If he is fit and ready to take field, either of Kyle Abbott or Kagiso Rabada will have to sit out . Following his impressive show in the one day series , it will not be surprising to see Kagiso Rabada being picked ahead of Abbott, although the latter is the one with more pace.
South Africa have worries with their batting too with Faf du Plessis struggling to get amongst runs at No. 3 and Proteas think tank might experiment with promoting Hashim Amla in No. 3 with du Plessis coming down the order at No.5 or No. 6. With JP Duminy having regained full fitness, South Africa should not find the need to include another spinner in the side. If they decide to do so, they have Simon Harmer and Dane Piedt at their disposal. Harmer played the first Test at Mohali, but was not particularly effective. Piedt might be a good addition to the playing XI; however the chances of that happening look very bleak.
The Indian team will take a call on the playing XI after a look at the strip . It is now evident that skipper Kohli prefers Varun Aaron ahead of Umesh Yadav and if the pacer from Jharkhand makes it into the playing XI then the local boy will have to sit out . Varun will partner Ishant Sharma with the new ball . However, Kohli also have the option of going for Bhuvneshwar Kumar under such conditions. He may be able to make full use of the new ball better than Aaron. Bhuvneshwar’s excellent record against left-handers might influence the Indian team management to play him in the eleven . With the Proteas batting having as many as three left handers in openers Stiaan Van Zyl and Dean Elgar, along with JP Duminy , it will not be a bad option either playing Bhuvi in the eleven .
Kohli has made it very clear of playing five bowlers in Tests as he believes that it is bowlers who win Tests. Hence, just to be safe, he might replace Binny with Mishra . Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja fill in the spinners slot . Bhuvneshwar replacing Aaron, with Ishant retaining his place will be ideal at Nagpur. South Africa, on the other hand, will just have to apply themselves a bit better, especially when it comes to batting. They have quality players to do that and do not have to take drastic changes in their side unless injuries forces players out just before the match. However, Steyn, who missed his first Test since 2009 at Bengaluru, will be a welcome addition in the Proteas line-up.
India: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane/Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar , Ishant Sharma.