TIME FOR INDIA TO OVERHAUL MIDDLEORDER IN TESTS

In February, India’s next Test series will be a home assignment against Sri Lanka. Although it will be a good chance to get Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane back among the big runs, it will be a backward step and a futile exercise even if the move works...

- RENIN WILBEN

Ahead of India’s departure for the tour of South Africa, the near-unanimous verdict by critics was that this would be their best chance to win a Test series in the Rainbow Nation. The visitors raised expectations by clinching the Centurion Test in a rather clinical fashion. However, old habits came back to haunt India as they lost the series 1-2, the same margin as 2017-18. The batting was chiefly responsible for India’s loss, although it could be argued the bowlers could have defended targets of 240 and 212.

While the bowling aspect is debatable, what cannot be denied is the fact that the batters let the team down Test after Test. If you take out the first day of the series, their performance was undoubtedly below par. The visitors were 272 for 3 at the end of Day 1 in Centurion. However, 327 was all they managed to end up with on Day 2. In the remaining five innings, they scored 174, 202, 266, 223 and 198. In the last innings, Rishabh Pant scored 100 out of 198, while 28 runs came via extras. This gives you an idea of how abysmal the other batters were.

CAN MAYANK REPLACE PUJARA AT NO.3?