The national squad includes all-rounders Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Senuran Muthusamy, as well as part-time spinner Aiden Markram.
Having a handful of all-rounders in the squad makes things easier for team management, according to Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha, as the national side prepare for the series decider in the second Test against India in Guwahati starting on Saturday.
Having won the first Test by 30 runs within three days in Kolkata last week, the SA team were aiming to win a Test series in India for the first time in 25 years, and Botha said they would rely on versatile players to boost their depth again.
The squad featured all-rounders Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch (who all played in Kolkata) as well as Senuran Muthusamy (who was dropped for the first Test). They also had the services of part-time spinner Aiden Markram, the team’s vice-captain.
“We’ve got a few guys now who can do the job with both bat and ball, which makes it a little bit better for selection,” Botha said on Thursday.
“They’re also guys you can rely on in different phases of the game, with the new ball and if you do get a little bit of reverse swing later on, they can play a role there. And obviously our spin bowlers are also playing a big role in-between, so it’s about how we’re balancing that.”
Adapting to an unusual schedule
The morning sessions in the second Test were set to start at 9am local time (5.30am SA time) due to an early sunset in Guwahati (around 4.30pm).
The early start would also see a switch in breaks, with tea being held after the first session and lunch being held after the second session.
Botha, however, said they were confident they would be ready for the unusually early start and early finish to each day’s play.
“We are conditioning ourselves to be ready for that, and we got the schedule a long time ahead, so mentally we’re just preparing ourselves for that,” Botha said.
“I think today (Thursday) was good for us in terms of an early practice, so I think we will be fine adapting to the hours.”
Rabada still in doubt
After missing the first match of the series due to a rib injury, it was unclear if fast bowler Kagiso Rabada would play in the second match.
He was still being monitored by the team’s medical staff and did not train on Thursday, but a decision on his availability would be made on Friday.
