India - South Africa Tests and more cricket or no cricket in Pakistan this week. The Moneyball9 fantasy managers have a chance to earn big with a rather predictable series between India and South Africa in the offing. But then, when it is that easy, there might be too many winners and to sort you out on this front we have shortlisted five absolute must-haves in your Fantasy team.
Mohammad Amir
Country: Pakistan
Match/Series: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
With rains playing a big role in the series so far, it is ideal to not back too many from this series. But if there's one person you'd want to place a bet on, let that be Mohammad Amir. The left-arm seamer is a beast in conditions that favour him and the 27-year-old could be more than a handful for the rookie Lankan batsmen.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Country: India
Match/Series: India vs South Africa Tests
He might have sat out the Tests in West Indies but dropping Ravichandran Ashwin at home in a Test match is almost equivalent to sitting Virat Kohli out in an ODI. Ashwin's record at home is phenomenal and it would be almost a criminal offence to sit him out for a home series. South Africa struggled immensely against the off-spinner back in 2015 and this inexperienced batting line-up should find it harder.
Temba Bavuma
Country: South Africa
Match/Series: India vs South Africa Tests
He isn't on everyone's radar but should he because he is probably South Africa's best player of spin now that AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla have retired. Bavuma has attended the spin camps in India and had a decent outing with the South African A side before turning up to play two crucial knocks in the T20Is. He is confident against spinners and has the ability to bat out time, two qualities quintessential to succeed in the sub-continent. If you are backing one South African batsman, let that be Bavuma.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Country: India
Match/Series: India vs South Africa Tests
Talk all you want about Virat Kohli but Cheteshwar Pujara remains the immovable rock at home in India's Test line-up. His average at home is a whopping 61.86 and he has 10 hundreds and 14 half-centuries here in 36 Test matches. Discount Pujara at your own risk but at least from a South African point of view, he remains a bigger threat on flat wickets than Virat Kohli.
Keshav Maharaj
Country: South Africa
Match/Series: India vs South Africa Tests
He has picked up wickets in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England and then went on to grab a nine-wicket haul in Sri Lanka. Putting all talk about South Africa’s lacking spinners to rest, Keshav Maharaj has arrived with a bang and is one of Proteas' premier attacking bowlers in Test cricket. He has a way of making a massive impact in a series and in India, on the turning wickets, the left-arm spinner has a chance to emulate what Steven O'Keefe did to India in 2017.
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Featured image courtesy: AFP/ Olly Greenwood
