5 Indian players to keep an eye on in the India vs. South Africa series

India has won a test series in every part of the world but has failed to clinch a test series win in South Africa. A huge task awaits for the Indian team who has recently won test series against Australia and England. There’s no doubt that the team is going as the favourites to win the test series but facing Rabada, Nortje and Lungi Ndidi in their home conditions is an uphill task. There’s a lot of tension in the Indian camp as well after the Sourav Ganguly versus Virat Kohli saga. Despite what the final score is, these are the 5 Indian cricketers to keep an eye on –

1. Virat Kohli – Without any doubt that Virat Kohli will be under the scanner. It would not have been the case but after the controversy, he definitely will be. The Indian red ball captain has not scored a single century in the last two years and people are questioning his form even after scoring 50+ scores. His performance in England was also not impressive and some of his decisions in the World Test Series final were also questionable. He needs to get back in runs and win matches for India. A series win in South Africa could work magic. There’s no doubt that he is the best red ball captain that the country has right now but after a dig against the board president, tables may just quickly turn if he fails to produce the result.

2. Cheteshwar Pujara – People no longer see Pujara as the replacement of Rahul Dravid. Strike was never an issue. The issue was him not converting his starts. Even when he is playing some good cricket, he is losing his wicket and that is what is hurting the team. He needs to step up in this series or he may just lose his spot in the Indian Cricket Team. Players like Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumar Yadav or Mayank Agarwal or Shubman Gill just play in that spot.

3. Ajinkya Rahane – No one is quite sure whether the former vice captain of the Indian cricket team will get a chance in the team or not. Iyer has been brilliant against New Zealand in India. Hanuma Vihari has also proved himself in South Africa when he toured with the India A team. Thus, Rahane is in a very tough place. He has also been stripped from his vice captaincy role even after doing a very good job. If he gets a chance, Rahane needs to prove himself. Otherwise, he won’t be getting a call anymore.

4. Mayank Agarwal – Things are a bit different for Mayank Agarwal. He has done exceptionally well in the home series against New Zealand but will have the tough job of facing the new ball when the series starts. After Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were ruled out of injury, it was confirmed that Mayank will be opening with KL Rahul. This series is very important because he needs to establish his spot in the opening department. There’s a lot of competition at the moment and he needs to prove his mettle to be a part of the side.

5. Ravichandran Ashwin – Last but not the least, Ravichandran Ashwin will be closely monitored. Normally in most of the away matches, Ashwin gets dropped and Ravindra Jadeja gets the call with virtue of being a better batsman. Ashwin hardly gets any opportunity where he can show his brilliance. He has been winning matches for India ever since he started playing International cricket. As a match winner, his exclusion from the team always raised speculation about a possible rift between him and Kohli. Things have changed now. Rather, situations have changed now. Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the series and Ashwin is all Virat has. He loves to win matches for India and he knows how to use Ashwin. The off spinner will have a huge task in his as he needs to prove that he can win games in foreign conditions. A huge challenge awaits Ravichandran Ashwin.