South Africa vs India: Star Indian batsman likely to be left out in Centurion Test again

Team India is preparing hard for their upcoming fixture against South Africa in Centurion. After having lost the first Test of the 3-match series meekly, the pressure is on the Indian side to bounce back now. A lot of eyes would be on the Indian team selections as they take the field for the match. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, and Parthiv Patel have been in the discussions over the last few days.

Commenting on the first Test, the Indian team showed absolutely no fight in the batting department barring Hardik Pandya’s resilient 93 in the first innings. The no show from the Indian batsmen prompted many to call for changes in the Indian lineup for the next Test. If India fails to win or draw the second Test, the series would be gone. On the eve of the second Test, some serious news has broken out in the India.

Amidst all the speculations about who will play and who will miss out, it is turning out that the Indian team will make some bold changes in the lineup. A social media update from one of the popular Indian journalists has commented that there are three certain changes in the Indian lineup for the game.

No place for Ajinkya Rahane, Saha?

The wicketkeeper’s position is likely to changed in the match with Parthiv Patel coming in for Wriddhiman Saha. Albeit Saha bagged 10 dismissals in Cape Town, his struggle with the bat was evident. Parthiv could make the cut in this case. Also, opener KL Rahul is likely to be in for Shikhar Dhawan. The most surprising selection, though, remains that regarding Ajinkya Rahane.

Reportedly, as per the tweet, Ajinkya Rahane is set to be left out of the playing eleven one more time. This comes as a big news since all the brouhaha about the predicted XI for the match began with the proposition of including Ajinkya Rahane in the team.

Rahane is arguably one of the better Indian batsmen in the overseas conditions. However, his recent form with the bat has been poor. He could muster only 17 runs in 5 innings in the home series against Sri Lanka. He was left out from the lineup in the first Test in Cape Town owing to the same reason.

News from SAF @parthiv9 for @Wriddhipops and @klrahul11 for @SDhawan25 and importantly no @ajinkyarahane88 huge call again. @vikrantgupta73

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 12, 2018

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