South Africa's second-spinner conundrum

South Africa could field two specialist spinners as Imran Tahir and one of Simon Harmer or Dane Piedt are likely to be in the XI for the first Test against India next week, if the evidence of the warm-up match and the utterances of coach Russell Domingo are anything to go by.

"A lot of the rumours have been around the wickets being very spin-friendly although Mohali does not have that reputation so we'll need to look at conditions and decide whether we want an attacking spinner or someone who can hold an end," Domingo said. "Imran is the attacking option and Dane Piedt and Simon Harmer are pretty similar type of bowlers so we'll have to see."

If South Africa are anticipating turn, they will want Tahir in the team and all indications are that the legspinner will make a Test return. Tahir was treated as the front-liner in the warm-up game, in the same way Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel were, in that he bowled minimally but with maximum effort, unlike Harmer and Piedt, who were put through their paces in what looked like a bid to decide between them.

After underwhelming showings on the first day of the warm-up game, Harmer and Piedt were made to open the bowling on the second day. Despite the match reaching that stage where everyone just wants it over with - and most practice games get to that point - the pair operated in fast-forward mode. They hurried through overs and exclaimed excitedly whenever there was a half-chance.

Their efforts did not yield anything though and South Africa may decide they are better off without both if they want a complete pace pack. South Africa's seam attack is usually three-pronged but conditions and Morkel's fitness could cause that to change. Morkel injured his quad during the third ODI, forcing him to miss the last two ODIs and has been making steady progress. He bowled five overs on the first day of the warm-up match, all maidens, but felt his injury "a little bit," according to Domingo and then four on the second day in the nets. He will undergo a fitness test in the week to decide his availability.

If Morkel is ruled out, South Africa have a reserve pacer in uncapped Kagiso Rabada but may choose to include a spinner instead. Their decision will also be influenced by whether JP Duminy is ready to play the first Test and as things stand, that looks unlikely. Duminy cut his hand during the ODIs, also missing the last two ODIs, but has not made as much progress as Morkel. His stitches will be removed this week and then he will be monitored but Domingo cautioned that the nature of the injury will mean South Africa have to "be sure he is ready," before playing him.

If Duminy is ruled out, South Africa will not only lose their experience in the middle order but also a part-time spinner and will have to decide whether to include Temba Bavuma as the extra batsman or one of Harmer or Piedt as a spinner. Both bat a bit but South Africa may be more comfortable with a specialist batsman and call on Dean Elgar, who bowled a fair bit in the warm-up match, to play the role of a part-time spinner.

"On the recent A tour here, Dean bowled the third-most overs in the limited-overs matches," Domingo said. "He's got the knack of getting wickets at strange times because he's a left-arm spinner with not much expertise as a left-arm spinner. Maybe players relax a little bit against him and that provides the opportunity to take wickets. He's by no means a first-choice spinner but he's able to bowl 10 overs a day for us and that's a big help," Domingo said.

With Elgar also providing an option, much of Harmer and Piedt's fate lies in Morkel and Duminy's fitness, especially as South Africa's confidence in Tahir to finally make an impact in the longest format seems to be growing.