Former India head coach Ravi Shastri wants the Rishabh Pant-led side to make unorthodox calls to force a win in the second Test of the series in Guwahati. As Senuran Muthusamy’s maiden Test hundred and Marco Jansen’s record-breaking 93 helped South Africa post a big total of 489 on the board, Shastri does not want India to hurry run-scoring on Day 3. Instead, he wants Pant to declare the first innings when they are near 400 or crossed the mark.
“Tactically India will have to take a call tomorrow. See how they get through the new ball, and then take the game forward, and force a win in this Test match. They'll have to call the shots, which means you might even want to declare behind. Then try and bowl out the opposition quickly in the second innings.
“You've got to take those chances. You can't wait to bat and go past 489, that'll take a long time. Might have to even declare 80, 90, 100 runs behind and see how it goes,” Shastri said while commentating for Star Sports.
Why a draw is not acceptable for Team India?
Considering the WTC points, a draw is not a great result for any team as they get four points each. That’s the reason why draws have been scarce since the World Test Championship (WTC) came into effect. India will look for a win in the Guwahati Test to draw the series 1-1 and move up to the third spot on the current WTC cycle.
Challenge for India batters
However, it will be daunting as no visiting team has lost a Test on Indian soil after posting a total in excess of 478. Also, India are without the services of their captain Shubman Gill. While skipper Pant is capable of counter-attacking, India would need at least four sessions to get close to or cross the 400-run mark.
The main challenge Indian batters will face is from spinners. In the previous Test, Simon Harmer claimed four wickets each in both innings. Now, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has two left-arm spinners at his disposal – Keshav Maharaj and Muthusamy.