Pace Predicament: India's Selection Conundrum Ahead of Second Test Against South Africa

Before the second Test match between India and South Africa in Cape Town starts on Wednesday, the Indians are unsure of their pace combination.

A lackluster pace attack, with the exception of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, greatly contributed to the innings loss in the first game in Centurion on a lively wicket.

It is acknowledged that Shardul Thakur's position on the team has not yet been decided. After taking just seven wickets in his last seven Test matches, the pacer's bowling abilities have been the subject of much introspection. Nonetheless, he is no longer sidelined by the shoulder injury he sustained on Saturday during practice.

Monday morning marked the start of the Indians' first practice at Newlands. Mukesh Kumar is still a possibility for the second Test, but Prasidh Krishna might get another chance.

Following his five-wicket performance for India A against South Africa A, Avesh Khan was added to the Indian squad. However, Mukesh might be given a chance if the think tank chooses to fire Shardul. The young Bengali player impressed with his performance in his debut match against the West Indies in Port of Spain.

However, India's pacers will struggle unless they can take advantage of the uneven bounce and extract the same amount of pace and seam movement as their South African counterparts.

The candidate who missed the first test because of lower back stiffness is Ravindra Jadeja. Ravichandran Ashwin might have to sit out because India will start with four pacers.

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