"Ajinkya Rahane cannot play in the first match" - VVS Laxman picks his Indian combination for the South Africa tour

VVS Laxman believes Shreyas Iyer should play ahead of Ajinkya Rahane in the first Test of India's upcoming series against South Africa.

Rahane, who is going through a prolonged lean run, missed the second Test against New Zealand due to a hamstring injury. Iyer, on the other hand, made an excellent debut in the first Test of the series against the Kiwis.

During a discussion on Star Sports, VVS Laxman was asked if Rahane should be picked for the first Test against South Africa. He responded:

"According to me, Ajinkya Rahane cannot play in the first match. Continuity is very important, so I will play Shreyas Iyer because if you give someone two Test matches and the way he batted on debut under pressure."

The former India cricketer highlighted that Iyer has grabbed his opportunity with both hands and needs to be persisted with. VVS Laxman said:

"He scored a century and a half-century, so I will give that continuity, the confidence that you want to give to a young batsman, I will definitely give that."

Certain reports suggest Rohit Sharma is likely to be named Team India's vice-captain in the longest format of the game, considering Rahane's indifferent form with the bat. It will be interesting to see if the latter even makes it to the Indian squad for the South Africa series in such a scenario.

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"I will definitely include Hanuma Vihari in the squad" - VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman highlighted that Hanuma Vihari deserves to be in the Indian squad.

VVS Laxman added that he would include Hanuma Vihari in the squad although he might not make the playing XI in the first Test. He reasoned:

"I will definitely include Hanuma Vihari in the squad because with what combination does Virat Kohli play. We have seen that top five will be batters, Rishabh Pant at No.6 as a wicketkeeper-batsman."

The 47-year-old also picked the bowling combination Team India should go with. Laxman explained:

"Jadeja can play as an all-rounder because he performs with the bat as well and you can't take Jadeja lightly as a batsman anymore, even in overseas conditions. So Jadeja will be at No.7 and after that, four bowlers - three fast bowlers and Ravichandran Ashwin. So this will be the combination."

It might be a tough call for Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid to decide if Team India should persist with their five-bowler approach in South Africa. With conditions in the Rainbow Nation generally loaded in favor of the bowlers, it might just be wise to field an extra batter considering the frailties of India's batting department.