India's Batting Woes Continue as Questions Arise Ahead of Second Test Against South Africa

Ajinkya Rahane shared a photo of himself batting at the Mumbai nets with the caption "No rest days" on social media more than 12 hours after India's batsmen could only muster 34.1 overs in their second innings in Centurion, ahead of the Ranji season.

In an effort to try out young players and develop the team for the future, national selectors benched Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. However, the outcomes have been disastrous; in the first Test of the series, India lost by an innings and 32 runs.

In the second innings, four batters—including captain Rohit Sharma—were dismissed for nought, meaning that none of the batters—aside from Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill—could reach double figures. The batters' incapacity to withstand the bounce and lateral movement on a hot wicket was demonstrated by the 131-run total.

Rohit never really got going at the top, despite having an average of 14.22 in his five prior Test matches in South Africa. The captain was dismissed in the fifth over of the first innings due to an impetuous pull, and on Thursday, another brilliant blow to his defense was delivered by Kagiso Rabada.

In order for late-order batters to flourish, a strong start is usually deemed necessary, and India failed to deliver on this front in both innings. On the first day, they were down to 24/3, but by the third day, they had crashed to 13/2 and then 52/3.

When India played their last series in South Africa, opener KL Rahul led the team in scoring. Even though India had lost the series 1-2, the middle-order bats found it easier with his assurance.

Rahul once more came to the rescue in the first innings, but Kohli's class and wealth of experience were evident in both innings. There was too much pressure on the remaining batters after the openers failed on both occasions.

The complete capitulation also reflected the lack of planning prior to a series of this magnitude. It was evident in the children's performance, as actors like Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared disoriented in strange surroundings.

After the defeat, there has been discussion about India's preference for an intra-squad game over a legitimate first-class match or practice match.

For the past 56 years, we haven't played practice matches, Rohit contended. "We've even attempted playing first-class matches, but in practice matches, we don't get these kinds of wickets. It's best if we prepare independently and create the pitch we desire. On those pitches, the ball didn't bounce above the knee when we visited South Africa in 2018 and our previous trip to Australia. It soars above the head during the test.

But things were different during India's most recent tour of Australia, when they won the series for the second time in a row. They played against two members of the Test team, Sean Abbott and Mitchell Swepson, on a lively wicket where the first two innings saw scores of 194 and 108.

Sunil Gavaskar disagreed as well. "The players would be motivated to impress their selectors and will play with their full strength which can provide a good preparation when you play against the local domestic teams," Gavaskar stated on Star Sports.

India will struggle to avoid a whitewash unless they can find a quick fix for their batting problems. Rohit will have to take the initiative as captain.

Avesh joins the group

Calcutta: The team for the second Test against South Africa, which starts in Cape Town on January 3, now includes uncapped fast bowler Avesh Khan.

Mohammed Sharma, who is sidelined for the entirety of the Test series due to an ankle injury, is replaced by Avesh.

Subject to receiving a fitness clearance, Shami was included in the first squad selected for the tour.

After participating in the three ODIs earlier this month, the pacer is currently in South Africa, where he is representing India A. He took a five-for on the third day of the Benoni four-day tournament, which is presently in its second round.

Avesh had taken 149 wickets at an average of 22.65 from 38 first-class matches prior to that one, including seven five-wicket hauls. With 38 wickets in eight games during the previous Ranji Trophy season, he was also Madhya Pradesh's top wicket-taker.

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