“White ball suits them” - Discarded India batter takes subtle dig at team management amid IND vs SA 2025 1st Test

Veteran Indian batter Hanuma Vihari slammed the team management for their obsession with all-rounders influencing the selection for the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Men in Blue named a highly unorthodox playing XI for the series opener, which included four spinners, and Washington Sundar slotted in at No.3 at Sai Sudharsan's expense.

The majority expected India to proceed with a similar combination from the earlier home Tests against the West Indies, as the returning Rishabh Pant was predicted to be the solitary change. However, Shubman Gill also named Axar Patel in the side, marking his first appearance in Tests since early 2024.

Fans and pundits have questioned India's intentions regarding their plans over the No.3 slot, with yet another candidate in Washington Sundar set to have a go after the recent experimentations with Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair.

As far as the four-pronged spin approach was concerned, India used 29 overs of spin in the first ininngs while bowling out South Africa for 159. Washington Sundar bowled only a solitary over, while Kuldeep Yadav bowled the bulk of the tally with 14 overs to his name.

Hanuma Vihari opined that loading the playing XI with all-rounders is a tactic more suited to white-ball cricket, and asserted the need for specialists in the Test setup.

"Never believed 4 spinners are required even on rank turners. Specialist players ln specialist position should be the case in test cricket. All rounders are fancy. White ball suits them," Hanuma Vihari posted on X.

Sai Sudharsan found himself dropped from the playing XI after a promising set of displays in his last Test appearance against the West Indies in Delhi. He recorded his highest score of 87 in the first innings, while chipping with 39 runs in the run chase during the second innings.

India played four spinners in the Test playing XI for the first time since 2012

The last time the Indian Test playing XI had four spinners in the mix was during the fourth Test against England in 2012 at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. On that occasion, skipper MS Dhoni included Ravichandran Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Prayan Ojha, and Ravindra Jadeja on a spin-friendly pitch.

That particular playing XI only had one frontline seamer in Ishant Sharma, as he contest ended in a draw, sealing a rare series defeat for India by a 1-2 margin.