Xuhaib
International Coach
Philander outbowled Steyn in UAE. Infact at the moment I find him a more threatening bowler then Steyn in tests.Steyn strength has always been his outswinger but his incoming ball has been even more ordinary over the last couple of seasons and it has virtually come to a point that he is almost a one trick pony its another matter that one trick of his is virtually unplayble if he gets it going however on a good deck he can be lined up and handled well on the other hand Vern has this knack of getting subtle in/out movement from virtually the same spot creating massive headaches for the batsmen.I hate being the optimist here since I'm generally quite the pessimist about India in overseas tests, especially with Dhoni at the helm. But think about this:
If it's flat and some pace is necessary, what is Philander to do? He's obviously a far better bowler than Bhuvneshwar, but both need the same sets of conditions to perform at their peak. (And if you remember, Big Vern did not have a fun time on the flat bouncy wickets of Australia until Perth served up some lateral movement).
I say go with Shami, Zak, and Bhuvi until Umesh can prove that he'll hit the right lengths often enough. In that case, and only that case, Umesh should come in for Bhuvi. And if Bhuvi is going to be totally out of his depth, and so too Umesh, don't hesitate to play two spinners even on a seamer's pitch. At least spinners can bowl darts and keep the runs down.