Why aren’t Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin participating in the second Test against South Africa in 2023?Why aren’t Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin participating in the second Test against South Africa in 2023?

India made the decision to bench Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin for the second Test in Cape Town against South Africa. Despite being a bit pricey, Shardul managed to secure the crucial wicket of Dean Elgar in the first Test in Centurion, while the spin wizard managed just one wicket.

Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the first Test because of a spasm, took Ravichandran Ashwin place in the starting XI. He has only participated in one Test match in South Africa, when he claimed six wickets. Because the cricketer is regarded as a better batter than the seasoned spinner, the management frequently supports him over Ashwin in foreign settings.

Mukesh Kumar, on the other side, replaced Shardul Thakur in the starting lineup.

It was anticipated because Bengal pacer Rohit Sharma and captain Rohit Sharma were seen interacting during training. Nevertheless, following a lackluster performance in Centurion, Prasidh Krishna was among the players who could have been substituted for Mukesh. Still, he held onto his spot while Shardul Thakur, who was not good enough at the bat or in the bowl in the opening test, was left out.

Gerald Coetzee and Temba Bavuma miss out as well.

Gerald Coetzee has been ruled out of the second Test due to pelvic inflammation, while captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out due to his inability to recuperate from his hamstring injury. Conversely, rookie Tristan Stubbs replaced South Africa’s Keegan Petersen, who was a batter.

In his last Test match, Dean Elgar will captain the squad in Temba Bavuma absence. In contrast, Keshav Maharaj has replaced Coetzee in the starting XI. In the second Test, South Africa strengthened their spin unit in anticipation of the ball turning as the game progressed.

South Africa, meanwhile, will try to maintain their series lead after going up 1-0. Elgar made it clear during the toss that this is, in fact, his final Test match and that he wants to go out on a high note.

“I’m going to bat. The pitch appears to be intriguing. We’re in a very good spot. We are past the point where you can’t win a two-match series if you lose the first one. On naught, the scoreboard begins. Everybody is aware of that. Against this Indian team, getting off to a strong start will be crucial. Tristan Stubbs is a rookie who will replace Temba. Coetzee, who is also hurt, is replaced by Ngidi. Elgar said, “And Maharaj enters.”

Would have also batted first, according to Rohit. It seems like a solid pitch. We are aware of the difficulty of opening the batting on that particular pitch, but ideally we can take advantage of the fact that there will be enough surface area for the seamers. It is crucial to move on from the past. We are aware of the significance of scoring runs and taking 20 wickets. not in the initial game, but we’re.”

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