Seasoned player Dinesh Karthik thinks Team India greatly lacks the presence of veteran bowler Mohammed Shami in the ongoing Boxing Day Test against South Africa. This match is held at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
South African players ruled the roost on Day 2, Dean Elgar, in particular, was outstanding with an undefeated score of 140. Despite their efforts, India only succeeded in taking five wickets. Specifically, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj secured two wickets each, while newcomer Prasidh Krishna took one.
In a Cricbuzz conversation, Karthik expressed that Shami would have truly stood out on the seam-friendly field in Centurion. He stated:
“The man has grown in stature as a bowler and as a leader of the pack. He is an able lieutenant to Jasprit Bumrah. You can imagine with the upright seam on this kind of pitch. I promise you, he would have definitely gotten a few wickets. The Indian team really misses him.”
Dinesh Karthik
Mohammed Shami couldn’t play in the two-match Test series between India and South Africa because of an ankle injury.
Dinesh Karthik noted that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj bowled accurate spells on Day 2. Yet, they lacked the needed backup from Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur.
“Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna going for close to 118 runs in their 27 overs. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj going for just 111 in their 31 overs. Siraj was a tad bit expensive, especially in the last spell, they also bowled some brilliant balls. You could see every time they were on, you got the feeling that they could get you a wicket or two. Whereas with Shardul or Prasidh, you had to wait for a batter to make a mistake.”
Dinesh Karthik
South Africa has built an 11-run lead against India, closing the second day at 256/5.
“Can be a bit unfair to Rohit Sharma to say that he had a bad day” – Dinesh Karthik on Indian skipper’s captaincy
Ravi Shastri, ex-coach of India, showed displeasure. Why? Rohit Sharma decided to give the ball to Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur at the start of session two.
An opinion was offered by Dinesh Karthik. Sharma’s move, he said, was probably to manage Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj India’s top pacers and their workload. He added:
“It can be a bit unfair to Rohit Sharma to say that he had a bad day in terms of rotating bowlers. Did his team have a bad day? I definitely think so. Why he would have gone with that choice (starting the second session with Prasidh and Shardul) is because if he had burnt Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj out, it would have been harder, knowing that there was a longer day at play.”
Dinesh Karthik
On Day 3, Dean Elgar (140*) and Marco Jansen (3*) will begin batting. On the third day, India will want to make early inroads in order to create a comeback.