South Africa vs India: Javagal Srinath picks India's trump card for the series

Former Indian cricketer Javagal Srinath is keeping a close eye on the Indian bowling brigade ahead of the South Africa tour. The Indian team is all start to kick start their tour with a 3-match Test series. The first Test commences on January 5 at Cape Town. The Newlands, Cape Town promises to be pacer’s delight. Needless to concede why the former cricketer is closely watching the Indian bowlers.

The Indian contingent boasts of quality pacers like Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah. Among the lot, Javagal Srinath recently picked up his trump card for the series. As per the quotes in Times of India, Javagal Srinath singled out Bhuvneshwar Kumar as India’s best bet in the series.

The former cricketer noted that his verdict has come as a result of the observations he has made in the recent times. Bhuvi can fetch economical spells to the team which will create pressure on the opposition batsmen.

“This is the best fast bowling combination in India at the moment. I go by what I’ve seen in the last one-and-ahalf years. I strongly feel Bhuvneshwar will be the strike bowler – or at least he should be treated like one. He should be used economically and in short spells. Over the past few months, he has been outstanding. He has added a couple of yards of pace and has been moving the ball with greater control,” quoted Javagal Srinath.

“Bhuvneshwar swings the ball both ways and at alarming pace. With the kind of pace he has been displaying, he can be a great asset for the team on South African wickets which usually have bounce and carry,” he added further.

On handling Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Speaking further on the same note, Javagal Srinath mentioned that the team management has to take care of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He reckons that the team should identify his talents and use him as their key weapon. They should not use him as a reserve bowler who would just fill up the overs and the numbers in the series.

“The team management has to take care of him and ensure he lasts the series. He should not be used as second fiddle, where he is made to bowl donkeys overs and is tired by the second or the third Test match. He should be well-supported by the others,” mentioned the ‘Mysore Express’.

On Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami

Commenting on the other bowlers, Javagal Srinath pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of each of the bowlers. He mentioned that Mohammad Shami has the ability to skid the ball well. Shami will be one of the key reverse swing prospects for India on the tour. “He is a steady bowler who skids the ball well,” said Srinath about Shami.

Speaking about Umesh, the former cricketer noted that the Vidarbha pacer has raw pace. The Indian conditions do not help such pacers. But when the playing arena is South Africa, Umesh could well be a key weapon for the Indian side. All he needs to do is to get his line and length right.

“For raw pace, you have Umesh. He can be good with both the new and the old ball if he gets the line and length right. He can reverse the ball well in South Africa when the conditions are dry. Swing in the air and movement off the seam will be the differentiator in this series,” said Srinath.

On Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma will head in to the series as India’s most experienced bowler in the side. However, he has struggled to his consistency in the recent times. Srinath also opined the same and felt that it is the right time for Ishant to prove his fitness at the highest level and bowl well consistently.

“Ishant has been a little enigmatic with his consistency, but this is an opportunity to prove himself. Clearly, the captain has a lot of confidence and belief in him. That should really spur him. Ishant should work on his experience and put a bowling strategy in place,” conceded Srinath.

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