‘Indian batsmen will challenge Steyn’

New Delhi, A comeback from a career-threatening injury is never easy and that’s why South African pace ace Dale Steyn might not turn out as big a threat as anticipated for India in the highly-anticipated Test series, feels veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh. Steyn had been out of competitive cricket for a year after suffering a shoulder dislocation during a Test against Australia last year.“Steyn is unarguably the best fast bowler of the last 10 years but coming back into international cricket is not easy. A Test match against Zimbabwe will not be an indicator of what he can do against India,” said Harbhajan.“Look at the Indian batting line-up. We have so much quality. Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma… This is among the best line-ups in world cricket. For both Steyn and Morkel, it will be a challenge to stop this line-up.”Besides, the lack of lateral movement in South Africa means that the batsmen would only need to counter the bounce. “The Kookaburra ball, as everyone knows, will stop seaming after 20-odd overs. So the batsmen will only need to take care of the bounce,” said the off-spinner.Pick Rohit, not Pandya for the No. 6 spotMany feel Hardik Pandya should be India’s No. 6 in South Africa for his all-round abilities. Harbhajan, however, feels the spot should go to Rohit Sharma. “Rohit is a fabulous player. He plays both pull and cut very well. He’s my No. 6. He can ride the bounce and play his strokes,” said Harbhajan. “Hardik is a talented boy but Rohit for me is a complete batsman.”No warm-up matches, no problemHarbhajan did not want to read too much into India not playing a practice game in South Africa before the first Test match. “It’s a very team-specific decision. The team management must have thought hard before taking this decision. Obviously, if they don’t have a practice game, the net bowlers will possibly be used to simulate match simulations,” he opined.As for which spinner will walk into the playing XI, Harbhajan said R Ashwin was an automatic choice. India are expected to field a lone spinner in Test matches, and it’s going to be a toss-up between Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. For Harbhajan, though, if Ashwin is fit, then there should not be any debate about who will make the playing XI. “If Ashwin is not an automatic pick after 300 wickets, then when (would he be)?” he asked.Having troubled someone like Ricky Ponting as much as he did (he got the former Australian captain 12 times in Tests), Harbhajan refused to buy the theory that off-spinners could be effective only against a team that has more left-handers. “The South African pitches will test patience of the spinners as there won’t be as much purchase as on the Subcontinent tracks. That’s where skill comes into play, and one has to be patient,” said Harbhajan.The seasoned off-spinner believes that India have the team to beat South Africa in their backyard. “It’s a confident team and it’s always good to win matches before embarking on overseas tour. Any team that travels overseas loves to believe it’s going there to win the series. The Indian team is no different. We have a good batting line-up and a quality pace attack,” he said.