“Very difficult decision to make” - KL Rahul on no.5 conundrum ahead of 1st India vs South Africa Test

Team India’s vice-captain for the Test series against South Africa, KL Rahul, has admitted that it will be a tough call to decide who will come in at no.5 in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion.

While Ajinkya Rahane has batted at the position for the last many years, his recent form has been scratchy to say the least. Shreyas Iyer has emerged as a strong contender after registering a hundred and a fifty on Test debut in Kanpur. However, India also have Hanuma Vihari, who was in impressive form during India A's recent tour of South Africa.

Asked whether India have taken a decision on the no.5 spot, Rahul replied that they are yet to have a chat about it. Speaking at a virtual press conference, Rahul said:

“It is a very difficult decision to make, obviously. Ajinkya has been a very important part of our Test team and he has played very crucial knocks in his career. In the last 15-18 months, if I can think back, his knock in Melbourne was really crucial and helped us win a Test match. That partnership with Pujara at Lord’s in the second innings, where he got a fifty, was really important. That ended up in us winning the Test match. So he has been a key player of us in that middle-order.”

Praising both Shreyas and Vihari, Rahul added:

“Shreyas, obviously, has taken his chances. He played a brilliant knock in Kanpur, got a hundred. So he is very excited and Hanuma (Vihari) has also done well for us. It’s a tough decision but we’ll start having the chat probably today or tomorrow. You’ll get to know in a couple of days’ time.”

29-year-old Rahul was named vice-captain of the Test team for the three-match series in South Africa after Rohit Sharma was ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

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“Workload becomes easier to manage with five bowlers” - KL Rahul

Apart from the no.5 position, there is also a debate over whether India should play five bowlers or go in with an extra batter at six, pushing Rishabh Pant down to no.7. Over the last couple of years, India have preferred going in with five bowlers in overseas Tests.

Asked about the reasoning behind it, Rahul explained:

“Every team wants to pick up 20 wickets. That’s the only way you can win a Test match. We have definitely used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away from India. The workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers. When you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it."

Barring fitness issues, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Ravichandran Ashwin look set to be picked in the XI for the Centurion Test. All-rounder Shardul Thakur could find a place in case India are looking to play five bowlers. Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are the other pace-bowling options in the visiting squad.