India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has indicated that India’s batting order will undergo a significant reshuffle in the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, with Washington Sundar likely to move from No. 3 down to No. 8. The adjustment comes in response to the neck injury suffered by captain Shubman Gill, which has ruled him out of the remainder of the series and forced India to rethink their lineup structure.
Speaking after India restricted South Africa to 247 for 6 on a competitive opening day at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, ten Doeschate said the team had already mapped out a flexible batting template for the remainder of the series.
The think-tank had promoted Sundar to the No.3 position in the first Test in Kolkata. But ten Doeschate signalled a reversal in Guwahati, stressing that India had informed players of the new roles for the second match in the absence of skipper Gill.
“We’re pretty certain on who’s going to bat where, and the players have been informed,” ten Doeschate said.
“We keep talking about versatile players and players that can bat in different positions, and we’re asking guys to do on the day whatever’s best for the team. So there’s going to be a reshuffling of the order.”
That reshuffle, it is understood, will see Sundar return to a lower-middle-order role at No. 8 — a position where India value both his control with the bat and his off-spin — while a specialist batter is expected to take the No. 3 and No.4 slots.
Sai Sudharsan, who came into this Test in place of Gill, will go back to his original spot at No.3, while Dhruv Jurel, who batted at No.4 in the second innings in the previous Test, is likely to continue at that number to maintain the right and left-hand combination.
The tactical shake-up talk came after a strong day for India’s bowlers, led by Kuldeep Yadav, who took 3 for 61 and was the standout performer on a red-soil pitch offering bounce and grip.
Ten Doeschate praised the left-arm wrist-spinner’s ability to extract overspin and purchase from the surface.
“We know Kuldeep’s strike rate is phenomenal. He’s a wicket-taker,” he said.
“Maybe the fact that he gets overspin and with the red soil and a little more pace in the wicket, he was slightly more effective today. For him to pick up three wickets and get us a foothold in the game is a real bonus.”
South Africa’s 247 for 6 was built around contributions from Aiden Markram (38), Ryan Rickelton (35), Tristan Stubbs (49) and captain Temba Bavuma (41). Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja claimed one wicket each.
Ten Doeschate said India had reflected on their 30-run defeat on a turning pitch in Kolkata and believed the harder, truer surfaces such as Guwahati suited the team better.
“My personal view is the wicket rarely determines who wins the game,” he said.
“If we’d played better in Kolkata, I feel we could have won. But these wickets maybe do suit us a little better. You’ve got to be prepared to fight really hard.”
He added that the toss becomes disproportionately influential in such conditions.
“Maybe the toss becomes even more important here,” he said.
“If you lose it, you have to put on a display like today and fight for every run to stay in the game.”
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