Team India faced a big defeat in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion. The game ended well within three days, and India played just over 100 overs combined in two innings. South Africa won the game by an inning and 32 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
The second and final test will start on January 3 in Cape Town. Notably, Avesh Khan has joined the team as Mohammed Shami’s replacement. But is he the right choice? There were a few other bowlers that could have been added to provide India with good options. Here we will talk about three bowlers who could’ve been a better choice than Avesh Khan for the second test.
3. Navdeep Saini
Navdeep Saini has been in and out of the team for the last couple of years or so. He is always in a mix of things but never gets regular chances in the presence of senior bowlers. He could have been a better choice than Avesh on the bouncy South African track. The tall pacer can bowl over 140 km/h regularly and can swing the ball. He has also played a couple of tests and knows what it takes to perform.
2. Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh won the Player of the Match award in the three-match ODI series that India won 2-1. He took ten wickets in three innings and was the pick of the bowlers. The left-arm pacer is a swing bowler who uses short balls to surprise the batter. He could have been a better choice to replace Mohammed Shami for the second test.
1. Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav played the test against Australia at home during the BGT 2023. But he was not picked up for the West Indies tour. However, with his skillset, he was a better choice, and his experience would have helped the team. Umesh has played 57 tests and taken 170 wickets at 30.98.
