India vs South Africa 2019, 1st Test: 3 factors that led to Rishabh Pant’s axing and Wriddhiman Saha's recall

Team India have announced their playing XI for the first Test against South Africa at Visakhapatnam starting October 2. The biggest talking point is the axing of wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and the return of Wriddhiman Saha.

While Pant kept wickets on the tours of England and Australia, Saha was the preferred option before him until he got injured. Pant grabbed his opportunity with both hands, registering his maiden Test hundred in England even as India had a forgettable tour on the whole.

Pant also made his presence felt in Australia, scoring yet another Test ton during India’s historic series win Down Under. However, things have not been smooth for him of late as he has struggled for form. In the build-up to the South Africa series, there were voices calling for his head and he did his reputation no good with multiple failures in the T20I series.

"We wanted to let Saha ease back into the side" - @imVkohli #TeamIndia #INDvSA @Paytm pic.twitter.com/FyOnvpe7QW

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 1, 2019

Here, we look at three reasons that led to Pant being dropped for the 1st Test against South Africa.

#1 Poor form, bad shot selection

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has not been in great form with the bat of late. He featured in the two-Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean but managed a total of only 58 runs. Even in the ODI and T20I series played in West Indies, he managed only one fifty -- 65 not out from 42 balls in the third T20I.

His performances in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa were also far from impressive; Pant managed only 4 and 19 in the two completed matches. Moreover, his shot selection has also come under fire, with Pant throwing his wicket away time and again at crucial junctures of the game.

Ultimately, this may have played a role in the selectors' decision to axe him for the first Test against South Africa.

#2 Saha’s return to form

Wriddhiman Saha

Unfortunately for Pant, his poor run coincided with Saha’s return to form. Saha did not have a great series in South Africa, his last assignment in the Indian whites before getting injured - he made 0 and 8 in the Cape Town Test.

However, the 34-year-old, who has three hundreds in 32 Tests at an average of 30.63, has gotten some runs under his belt recently. He scored a couple of 60s against West Indies A earlier this year and followed it up with another 60 against South Africa A at Mysore.

Saha's form is simply too hard to overlook at the moment and has earned him a spot in the Indian side for the first Test at the expense of Pant.

#3 The better 'keeper

Wriddhiman Saha

It is no secret that Saha is the more accomplished wicketkeeper by some distance. That factor would also have come into consideration as the team management sat down to finalise the playing XI for the first Test.

Keeping to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on turning surfaces would not have been an easy job for Pant, particularly considering his lack of confidence in recent times. This ultimately would have been a major factor that tilted the scales in Saha’s favour.

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