The test series will kick off from November 14
Indian openers will be up against a good South African pace attack
Indian spinners will hold the key
India and South Africa will lock horns on November 14th at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in the 1st Test of the two-match series. It’s expected to be a hard-fought series as India are a dominant force in Tests, whereas South Africa has regained their past glory by winning the World Test Championship by defeating Australia earlier this year in June.
India defeated the West Indies at home by 2-0 and are currently sitting comfortably at the 3rd spot in the WTC standings. On the other hand, South Africa are coming off after leveling a well-fought series against Pakistan at their home soil by 1-1. The last test series between both teams in 2023-24 also ended in a 1-1 draw.
Marco Jansen vs KL Rahul
The South African pace unit works as a well-oiled machine with the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Corbin Bosch up in their ranks. It is the start of the season, and the pitches are fresh with moisture in the air that could assist the South African pacers.
Both the Indian openers are in touch, but a good South African line-up with the red ball in this weather could trouble them, especially KL Rahul. Rahul has an average of 28.38 against South Africa in Tests and has been dismissed 3 times in Tests by the left-arm quick since 2021.
Jasprit Bumrah vs Aiden Markram
Jasprit Bumrah has been India’s spearhead bowler across all formats in the last few years, with stats matched by none, especially in Tests. Despite his lack of form in the last few matches, Bumrah is still India’s best bowler and his form will be the key if India want to overcome the Proteas challenge.
Bumrah, who has taken 38 wickets against South Africa in 8 matches, will be against Aiden Markram, who will be the mainstay of South Africa’s batting line-up. Makram played an instrumental role in South Africa’s victory in the WTC final with a sublime century. The contest between Bumrah and Markram would be one to look out for.
Mohammed Siraj vs Dewald Brevis
Mohammed Siraj has often remained under the Bumrah in Tests, but time and again, he has proven his worth in Tests, especially in the absence of Bumrah. The England series was a prime example of it, where he, at times, single-handedly carried the Indian bowling attack on his back. He has taken 12 wickets against South Africa in 4 tests.
On the other side, Dewald Brewis will be playing his first test against India. Though he doesn’t have much experience in test cricket, he has played a reasonable amount of T20 cricket in India in the IPL. With his aggressive style, he would like to take the game away from India in the middle order, where he’ll be up against Siraj, who is known for his reverse swing with the old ball.
India vs South Africa 1st Test: Squads
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne.
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain, Wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
