Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee has been ruled out of the second SA vs IND Test scheduled to start on January 3 in Cape Town due to an injury.
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South Africa won the first Test convincingly in Centurion by an innings and 32 runs. They played an all-seam attack of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Nandre Burger, and Coetzee at the SuperSport Park that wrecked the Indian batting line up.
Coetzee, however, has been ruled out of the New Year’s Test in Cape Town after suffering from “pelvic inflammation” during the first Test. Coetzee experienced discomfort in his pelvis, “which progressively got worse while bowling on day three of the match”.
Scans conducted on Friday (December 29) revealed the extent of Coetzee’s injury, forcing the South Africa management to rule him out of the second Test. He has been released from the squad as a precautionary measure and no replacement has been announced.
Coetzee did not have the best of games in Centurion, taking 1-74 off his 16 overs in the first innings and 0-28 off five overs in the second. He struggled to find rhythm and control, conceding nearly five runs per over throughout the Test.
Lungi Ngidi, who missed out on the first Test as he failed to recover from an injury, is expected to take Coetzee’s place in Cape Town. Ngidi has a stellar record in Tests in South Africa, having taken 36 wickets in 16 innings at an average of 17.9.
Ngidi also has a particularly good record against Virat Kohli, who was India’s highest scorer in the second innings in Centurion. The right-arm seamer has dismissed the former India captain four times in Tests, the joint-most number of dismissals he has against any batter.
India, who are yet to win a Test match in Cape Town, would hope that they can pull one back and salvage some pride after their drubbing in the first Test.
