Kohli's shot at redemption: How Bumrah can be the captain's knight to conquer South Africa

The dominance of a Test team is asserted by its conquests overseas. One cannot forget Team India's recent conquest of the Gabba and the second Border Gavaskar Trophy victory in a row. The tour of England, despite an uneventful result, still sees India sit on top with a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series even as the final Test has been rescheduled. It is only fair to say that skipper Virat Kohli stamped authority in England, Australia, West Indies and even Bangladesh. However, there's one medal yet to be pinned on Kohli's well-plated silver shoulder and over the next few weeks, that's exactly what Team India would strive to win: A Test Series Win In South Africa.  

Starting December 26, India will play 3 Tests against South Africa, away from home, in difficult and pace-friendly conditions. The last time India had toured South Africa in 2018, Kohli's men left with a series defeat but a memorable win at Johannesburg, which in all possibility, was the beginning of Team India's dominance in Tests. Since then, India has stood on top of the Test ranking for two years in a row, thrashed Australia at home twice, and even nearly won the inaugural World Test Championship. Since the tour in 2018, life has come a full circle for Team India, and now back in South Africa lies Virat Kohli's shot at redemption. 

Kohli's shot at redemption

Stripped off ODI captaincy, poor run at T20 World Cup in UAE, and lots of whispers and 'source-based' rumours sparking controversy have given Virat Kohli a hard time in the recent past. If that was not enough, the aggressive Virat Kohli is yet to notch up his 71st century - a feat that once seemed an everyday occurrence, now suddenly seems like an oasis in the desert. Which is why the tour of South Africa, makes it a perfect place for the Captain's shot at redemption. With a series win, Kohli can claim his global conquest - which he had set out to achieve right after the 2018 Jo'burg Test - and for that to happen, it is paramount that Kohli's bat does the talking this tour. 

South Africa's pitch challenge

But it won't be that easy. India's tour begins on December 26 with the Boxing Day Test at Centurion - which has been South Africa's fortress. The venue has hosted 26 Tests, of which South Africa have won 21. The pace friendly and bouncy conditions make it a stroll in the park for South Africa which includes Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi in its arsenal amongst others. The challenges posed by pitches in South Africa have also been acknowledged by Team India's Vice-Captain KL Rahul. Asked about how the team will cope with the South African pitches, he said, “The pace and bounce in the pitches here is very different to other countries. That is why it was very important that we came here earlier and tried to adjust to the conditions."

“We’ve had match simulations and tried to get used to the conditions. The pitches here can be challenging because of the tennis-ball bounce. We’ve played in Australia where the pitches are fast and bouncy, but here it can be a bit spongy and then it starts to quicken up,” he added.

Rohit Sharma has been excluded from the squad due to injury and Team India's MVP Ravindra Jadeja has been sidelined as well. This is why, apart from Kohli, Team India needs a knight to lead the pacers and rattle stumps in South Africa. 

Can Bumrah power India to Test dominance?

In Johannesburg 2018, India's silver lining was 26-year-old tall and lanky Jasprit Bumrah. It was his first tour of South Africa and the young gun then picked up 14 wickets in just 3 matches. Bumrah rattled the stumps, nicked batsmen and showed shades of the star in making that he was. Although, not much of it came from his prized yorkers. Bumrah's unorthodox action, in tandem with his Test lengths, troubled the Proteas. If it seems unimaginable, here's a clip of Bumrah wreaking havoc: 

After 2018, Bumrah now returns to South Africa with loads of experience and finesse alongside Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav and prodigy Md. Siraj. India has only won three Tests out of the 20 it has played in South Africa and never won a series. The pacers led by Jasprit Bumrah and Kohli's shot at redemption should pivot Team India towards breaking another record. 

Image: AP