India vs South Africa: Why South Africa’s possible debutant can cause major concerns for India in Ranchi Test

With Keshav Maharaj missing the last Test encounter in Ranchi due to injury, South Africa will most likely opt for debutant George Linde and that can be a trump card for them.

The ongoing Test series between India and South Africa has been quite one-sided till now and a major reason behind the visitors’ failure has been the lack of a good spin option. While Keshav Maharaj has performed well in the past, the left-arm spinner was able to take just six wickets in the first two matches with a steep economy rate of 4.04. With Maharaj missing the last Test encounter in Ranchi after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder while fielding, the Proteas will most likely opt for debutant George Linde and that can be a trump card for them.

The South African team celebrates Rohit Sharma’s wicket.(Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

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Linde has been quite impressive with the ball in recent times and his first-class record makes him a good bet for South Africa on the turning tracks. With 160 first-class wickets, the 27-year-old has been quite impressive in his career and he took 11 wickets in the only game he played in the 2019-20 season. While comparing his statistics with Maharaj, Linde trumps both in average and strike rate with his average remaining under 25 since 2016.

With the series already in their kitty, Team India will aim to go for the kill and clean sweep the three-Test rubber when they face a demoralised South African team in the final match beginning Saturday at the JSCA Stadium.

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The hosts dominated the first two matches in all the three aspects of the game and dented the confidence of the Proteas severely. They won the first Test by 203 runs in Vizag and went on to better their performance in the next game, registering a comprehensive victory by an innings and 137 runs in Pune.

However, the visitors can hardly expect any respite in Ranchi as Virat Kohli’s men would like earn another 40 points and extend their lead in the World Test Championship. South Africa, on the other hand, have just not been able to cope up with the conditions on offer. The tracks, on which the two matches have been played so far, were by no means rank turners. They have been just not been able to come with a performance to match that of the Indians.

(With agency inputs)