Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison was hugely impressed with India’s “pool of players” in Test cricket. Harmison said the depth in the Indian side is that players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal, who have done quite well in the recently concluded two-game series against New Zealand at home, which India won 1-0, may not feature in the XI when India tours South Africa later this month. Harmison’s comments came after Ashwin and Agarwal made match-winning contributions in India’s 372-run series win over New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
India put many first-XI players such as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to rest in the two-game series against the Kiwis, but Iyer, Agarwal, Ashwin and Axar Patel made sure the big names didn’t stop. were missed.
In the first Test match, Iyer became the first Indian male cricketer to score one hundred and fifty on his debut. In the second game, Agarwal hit 150 in the first innings, then backed it up with 62 in the second on a Wankhede course where New Zealand was eliminated for 62 in the first innings. Ashwin, on the other hand, continued the mastery on home soil by taking 14 wickets in the two Tests.
Harmison believes the strong performances of Iyer, Agarwal and Ashwin will keep Indian team management under tremendous pressure as they select the XI for Boxing Day in South Africa on December 26.
“Wouldn’t be surprised if they (India) go back to Pujara at three, Kohli at four, Rahane at five, Pant at six and Jadeja at seven. This is how crazy it is. R Ashwin just got 8/ 42 within a match and he may not play in the next test on Boxing Day Mayank Agarwal has only 150 and a fifty he may not play in the next match Shreyas Iyer got one hundred and fifty on his debut which has never happened in Indian cricket and he may not play in the next Test. That just shows the amount of talent they have,” Harmison said on his YouTube channel.
The former right-arm seamer compared India’s Test side to England’s white-ball lineup and said the cricketers who play in the XI are always under pressure because of the talent on the bench.
“India now has what England has become in white ball cricket. Their pool of players is only growing and the pressure on the men with (Indian) shirts is getting stronger.
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“They’ve got two guys in the middle of the order they want to keep picking. They want them to hope they’re going to score points. But they’ve got some young guys. I think maybe it’s their time. How can you let Shreyas Iyer fall?” he added.
India is likely to name their squad for the South Africa tour, in which they will play three Tests and three ODIs later this week.
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