IND vs SA: Irfan Pathan Wants India To Drop Ravichandran Ashwin For This Player In 2nd Test

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan batted for Ravindra Jadeja’s inclusion in the team for the second Test against South Africa. He also said that if the team is looking to play Mukesh Kumar then he should replace Prasidh Krishna in the team.

The second Test between India and South Africa is just a few days away from now. The match will take place from 3rd January in Cape Town and the Rohit Sharma-led side would be hoping to make a comeback after facing a thrashing loss in the first match.

It won’t be a surprise if India make changes to the team for the last game. They would be desperate for the win as a loss in the last game would mean that they would not only lose the series but would also face a 2-0 whitewash.

India were without the services of Ravindra Jadeja in the Centurion Test. The all-rounder had a back spasm and hence Ravichandran Ashwin played ahead of him. The absence of Jadeja was felt quite badly as India didn’t have a great outing with the bat. Also, Ashwin didn’t have the kind of impact that was expected of him.

Ravindra Jadeja has been stupendous with the bat down the order in overseas conditions. In the recent past, he has bailed India out of trouble quite a few times and has played some great knocks.

Ashwin failed to make an impact with bat and ball in the first Test. He didn’t pick any wickets and also failed to make contributions with the bat for his team.

Irfan Pathan believes that if Ravindra is fit he should straightaway walk into the team for the second Test. The former all-rounder highlighted that the team missed Jadeja’s service with the bat in the Centurion Test. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

“Ravindra Jadeja, if fit, should come back in the team. Ashwin did bowl well from what was expected out of him on that pitch but we missed Jadeja’s control while batting at number 7 in Centurion.” 

IND vs SA: If Prasidh is confident in the nets, then he should be backed – Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan further opined about the changes that India can make for the final Test against South Africa. The all-rounder said that if skipper Rohit Sharma wants to go with the same bowling attack then no one would question it.

Irfan Pathan further added that if team management feels Prasidh Krishna is confident with his bowling then the pace should be backed. He explained:

“If you’re Rohit Sharma and you want to go with the same bowling attack, that’s also fine. But if you’re thinking of making a change, Mukesh Kumar could come in for Prasidh Krishna. But if you feel Prasidh is confident in the nets, then he should be backed for the second Test.”

Prasidh Krishna had a torrid outing with the ball in the first innings. He looked clueless and picked just one wicket. Apart from that he leaked a lot of runs, which was one of the main reasons why the team struggled to get going.