India vs South Africa: Indian squad for the tour - 2013 and Now

The wait is finally over! 2018 is here and it has brought with it the much talked-about clash between India and South Africa. While many are busy debating over the probable pitch conditions and playing combinations, almost everybody is geared up to witness some to unfold over the next two months and the Test matches are the first course of the full three-course menu!

Team India is bound to suffer from a few selection conundrums as the current squad is teeming with extremely talented cricketers. But, remember the disastrous 2013 India tour of South Africa? Where does the current Indian side stand in comparison to their team composition four years back? Let’s take a look at the Indian Team: Then and Now.

Openers – Murali Vijay

The stocky right-handed opener, Murali Vijay will be sure to remember the agonising dismissal at 3 runs short of the fourth Test century of his career in the first innings of the Durban Test the last time he was in South Africa. Vijay ended the two Tests as the fourth highest run-getter for India, scoring 148 runs in the four innings that he played.

Since then, he’s been in and out of the team and yet, is considered by many as probably the best fit for the opening slot. In the last four years, the 33-year-old has accrued 2444 runs in the 33 Test matches that he’s played, including 8 centuries against forces like Australia, England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Shikhar Dhawan

A permanent fixture in the Indian side at present, Shikhar Dhawan had made his Test debut back in 2013 and the subsequent South Africa tour in the same year had proved to be more than he could handle. The flamboyant southpaw could muster just 76 runs in the two Tests with meagre personal scores of 13, 15, 29 and 19 in the four consecutive innings.

The following years saw the 32-year old flourish as a batsman in all three formats. His prowess in Test cricket as a seasoned opener flourished as he amassed 1695 runs in 23 Test matches at an average of 43.46, including the highest score of 190 against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium in July 2017.

Lokesh Rahulnew

Having made his Test debut in late 2014 against Australia, this will be Lokesh Rahul’s first stint on Protean land and he will be desperate to prove his mettle in order to put an end to the tug of war with Murali Vijay over the opening slot. KL Rahul has emerged as an exciting talent in recent years with 4 Test centuries and 10 half-centuries to his name already.

He has grown as a cricketer, particularly on home soil and the upcoming tour against South Africa will be a brand new chapter in his cricketing career book. The 25-year old will draw inspiration from his exquisite knock of 199 runs against England in 2016 and look to notch up some more runs this time around.