India has the bench strength to cope with the absence of Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and S Sreesanth in the forthcoming Test series against South Africa, according to Harbhajan Singh.

'India can win without Dravid and Yuvraj'

The off-spinner said that the replacements – S Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Mithun – have earned their places with strong performances in the domestic circuit and he hopes that they continue to do well in the international arena.

“It would have been good to have them (Dravid and Yuvraj), but whatever players we have got, they are good and have done well in the Ranji session. Hopefully they will continue their good form against South Africa as well,” Harbhajan said.

Dravid is out of the series with a fractured cheek bone while Yuvraj and Sreesanth are out due to a tear in his wrist and a hamstring injury respectively. All these injuries were sustained during India’s tour of Bangladesh.

With the No 1 Test team taking on the No 2 ranked side, Harbhajan predicted a tough two match Test series ahead.

“Only time will tell who will come out on top. We have full respect for our opposition but if we play to our potential, we can beat anyone,” Harbhajan said, adding, “When the top two teams play each other, the level with be intense. You have to admit that South Africa is a very good Test side. But if we play to our potential and our ability, we can beat any side in the world.”

Nagpur, Feb 3 (ANI): Vincent Barnes, the bowling coach of South African cricket team contended that although the Indian tour is hectic, the players are a focussed lot.

Indian cricket tour, a hot job, opines South African bowling coach

Addressing a news conference after the draw of the stumps on the first day of the two-day practice match against India’s Board President’s XI here on Tuesday, Barnes said: “We are quite focussed.

We have come here and it is a big job ahead for us…playing against the number one team in the world. We knew that coming Test would be a big job, all the management and we have spoken in-length about it. We come here to do a job and that is what we have to do. It is no exception to any other tour and it is going to be a hot job.”

He also hinted to include two spinners in the first Test against India commencing on February 6 at Nagpur.

“It is good to get two spinners in our team that to me is the most important…because the Test is coming up and we know that we have to step it up and we would definitely step it up once the Test started,” he added.

The first Test starts in Nagpur on Saturday (February 6) after South Africa opened their tour with a two-day match against a Board President’s XI.

India displaced South Africa as world number one in December after securing a 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka.

South Africa had come close to winning a series in India two years ago when they took a 1-0 lead before the home side squared the three-match series on an unpredictable pitch of Green Park in Kanpur. (ANI)

As a rule, the emergence of a rookie bowler with raw pace generates unparalleled excitement in cricket circles in India, a country where new-ball bowlers have traditionally worn the medium-pacer tag. So, with Abhimanyu Mithun in the squad for the first Test against South Africa after a dream first-class debut season, hopes are being harboured that the 20-year-old speedster will continue to intimidate batsmen at the international level.

India's new mantra: Need for speed

But in this atmosphere of anticipation, a significant statement made by the chairman selectors, K Srikkanth, seemed to have been lost. Speaking about the green-behind-the-ears paceman Mithun, the former India opener said: “We really needed a genuine fast bowler for Tests, so we included him.”

It was the chairman’s way of saying that this wasn’t just a one-off selection but a new trend that is set to continue in the coming days. As some other members of the committee confirmed, the criteria for Test selection is no longer only wickets and experience, but a tick in the speed box had become mandatory as well.

A look at the Board President XI squad, announced on the same day as the Test team, proves India’s consistency in this thinking. The usual medium pacers who generally face touring teams in warm-up games were conspicuous by their absence. Bowlers such as Munaf Patel, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Dhawal Kulkarni were excluded, and sources said it wasn’t a mere coincidence that they all bowled below 130 kph.

The 22-year-old Vidarbha bowler has played just 11 first-class games, but his quick spell in the Duleep Trophy last year – when he beat Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman for pace – was a factor the selectors kept in mind. “These days in international cricket, it is very tough to get wickets if you don’t have pace. The margin of error is very small for a medium pacer, especially on Indian pitches. So while travelling around the country, we keep an eye on the quick bowlers,” a national selector, who did not wish to be named, told The Indian Express when asked about Mithun and Yadav.

Central Zone coach Gyanendra Pandey endorsed the view that Yadav fit the bill perfectly. “He is very quick and can unsettle a new batsman with his pace. I watched his games where he has consistently bowled 140 kph all day,” he said.

There is a startling similarity between the two young pacemen in the news. Like Mithun, Yadav was a school-level athlete who played tennis-ball cricket far away from a cricket centre with modern facilities. If Mithun was spotted playing in an industrial area on the outskirts of Bangalore, Yadav’s beginning can be traced to street matches in Khaparkheda, a village near Nagpur.

Four years ago, when he went to Nagpur to play a tennis-ball tournament, local coach G Gokhale got impressed by his pace. Yadav was to soon hit the big league as former Vidarbha player Pritam Gandhe took him under his wings.

Within days, he was playing first-class cricket, but an injury hampered his rise. Back to peak fitness, he is now waiting to bowl at the South Africans on his home ground. “I am really looking forward to the game,” he said. “It will be a dream come true.”

Openers exit but runs keep flowing

He had made just nine when Shafiul Islam claimed a run-out after Gambhir smashed one straight back down the pitch. The Bangladeshis were convinced that Shafiul’s little finger had brushed the ball, but with replays inconclusive, the third umpire had to rule in the batsman’s favour. Then, when he was on 28, an excellent bouncer from Rubel Hossain caught him unawares. The fend was superbly caught by Junaid Siddique at slip, but even as Dravid trudged off, Billy Bowden was signalling a no-ball.

Having resumed on 69 for 0, the Indians had seen Sehwag survive a very good shout from Shahadat Hossain early on, and when he then cracked one through the covers to reach 50, the omens were ominous. Gambhir too was in fluent touch, clipping Shafiul through midwicket and using both cute deflections and the straight bat to pinch fours off Shahadat Hossain.

Sehwag bludgeoned one straight to bring up three figures, but the very next delivery reared up at him and took the glove on its way to Mushfiqur Rahim. Dravid took his time to play himself in, and Gambhir assumed the scoring mantle, with a back-foot punch and a guide through the slips off Shafiul taking him to a half-century for the 11th match in succession – equalling the record set by Sir Vivian Richards.

Having found his bearings, Dravid started to play some gorgeous strokes through cover, off pace and spin alike, and when Gambhir was caught in an ungainly tangle by Shafiul’s bouncer, it was very much against the grain of play. But with Tendulkar easing his way into the proceedings with a nudge here and a push there, it was still India that held the ace-hand as the teams went to lunch.

Melbourne: His international cricket derailed by a string of injuries, Australian pacer Brett Lee is in no mood to risk another breakdown and has ruled out rushing his comeback to play in the Indian Premier League in March.

Currently nursing an elbow injury sustained during the one-day series against India last year, Lee, who plays for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, refused to say whether he would be available for the Twenty20 event starting March 12 this year.

Lee won't rush comeback for IPL's sake | IPL NEWS

“I am not going to be making any statement if I will be ready or not,” Lee said.

“It is just a point of how the elbow feels and just working hard on my fitness and see what happens after that,” he added.

The 33-year-old pacer, who underwent the “most painful” surgery of his career in December, was told to wear a shoulder brace for at least six weeks by doctors.

The tearaway bowler has been wearing it for eight weeks now but hasn’t been able to move his arm too freely.

It is just a point of how the elbow feels and just working hard on my fitness and see what happens after that,” he added.

The 33-year-old pacer, who underwent the “most painful” surgery of his career in December, was told to wear a shoulder brace for at least six weeks by doctors.

Lee, however, insisted that his rehabilitation was well on track and he hopes to start bowling by the last week of February.

“I am about eight weeks post-surgery. I`m looking forward to possibly start bowling form February 23. It is a slow process,” he told a cricket website.