India ask for four extra pacers on South Africa tour

The national selectors have already picked a 17-member squad for the three-Test series in South Africa but the Indian team management is expected to add a few other players to the contingent. It has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to send a few extra fast bowlers to South Africa.

The team management has identified four young pacers and wants them to accompany the squad at least during the first half of the month-long Test series. The four pacers are Mohammed Siraj of Hyderabad, Avesh Khan of Madhya Pradesh, Navdeep Saini of Delhi and Basil Thampi of Kerala.

The purpose behind it?

India are to play three Tests in Cape Town, Centurion and Johannesburg. The request stems from the idea of the think-tank to give the batsmen the best possible preparation against fast bowling considering that South Africa will unleash their pace battery – Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn — against the Indian batsmen.

The Indian squad consists of six fast bowlers in the contingent that will head to South Africa but the team management wants to reduce the workload of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in the nets.

“It will serve double purpose. The young pacers will learn a lot by travelling with the team and bowling to international batsmen. It will also reduce the workload of our pacers in the nets. The request is to keep them for at least three weeks,” said a source with direct knowledge of the development, as reported by Pune Mirror. The confirmation from the BCCI will come only after chief executive Rahul Johri comes back from Singapore.

Saini and Thampi are involved in the ongoing Ranji Trophy quarter-finals for Delhi and Kerala respectively. Even if their respective teams qualify further, they will be free by the time the Indian team leaves for South Africa. Thampi and Siraj are also in the India squad for the T20Is against Sri Lanka later this month.