India's Jasprit Bumrah appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of West Indies' John Campbell on the first day of the first Test cricket match between India and West Indies at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah to rest during the Test series against South Africa next month. The 39-year-old has said that he expected Axar Patel to feature in the playing XI for the two Test matches against the current World Test Championships (WTC) holders, adding that India had a lot of all-rounders to choose from currently.
South Africa will play two Test matches at Kolkata and Guwahati, respectively, in November following India’s white-ball tour to Australia later this month.
“Axar Patel will play. When South Africa comes, I think there will be a slightly stiffer test. They are WTC champions. They are the holding champions. I think they will pose much higher competition. Still, there are not many spin options with South Africa. In India, if you want to win, you need batting that can play long, and you need spin bowling to stay tight as well. South Africa looks a little short on spin resources.”
“We don’t know how they will bat either. But India is spoiled for choices. There are a lot of all-rounders. If you play Washi, Axar, and Jadeja, you will play Kuldeep as well. Batting will go up to number 10. I think Bumrah will get a rest against South Africa,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel “Ash ki Baat”.
The 106-Test veteran praised KL Rahul for how easy he made batting look in difficult conditions. He hoped that the right-hander would be able to finish the Test series against West Indies on a high.
“I always feel that KL Rahul makes tough runs look very easy. But I am so happy that KL Rahul found this game, because KL Rahul has the quality and class that he can get out in such a match, as it can be very easy for him. But he didn’t give up. He converted that into a hundred. I really hope, for KL Rahul’s good and the game he has, that this situation he finds himself in could be the second or third wing of KL Rahul.”
“I really think he should have a strong finish to the end right now. He looks in great form. His fitness looks good. It looks like he has understood his game inside out. And it looks like he has got a lot of hunger. This hundred is not about KL Rahul’s game; this hundred is about defining KL Rahul, the batter, for the Indian team,” Ashwin said.
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
3 min read
