Rohit Sharma-led India will take on the Proteas in the two-match Test series at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion on December 26. Notably, this will be the first time that Indian veterans such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will represent the Men in Blue after their tragic defeat in the World Cup final.
Interestingly, the Proteas have not drawn a Test match in their home conditions since 2016, with 24 wins and eight losses in the 32 matches since then.
Rohit, who will face a formidable and fit South African side led by Temba Bavuma, will have the chance to make history by capturing the ‘final frontier’ after 31 years. Successive Indian teams have failed to win a series in the SENA nation, but this Indian side, with a mix of veterans and fresh blood, will fancy their chances.
However, the Indian team management will have to make some key decisions for the 1st test match with big-name players such as Mohammed Shami and Ishan Kishan unavailable. While Shami has been ruled out of the series with an ankle injury, Ishan Kishan had asked to be released from the series and Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out with a finger injury.
Many of India’s players, especially the batsmen, will be tested in South African conditions, including young batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hasn’t been a regular part of the Test side, and players like Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who have yet to prove their mettle in seaming and swinging conditions outside India.
India and South Africa squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran (2nd Test).
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Nandre Burger, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, David Bedingham. According to the reports published in www.livemint.com .
When and where to watch the India vs South Africa Test match?
The key clash between India and South Africa will kick off on December 26 at 13:30 hrs and will continue till December 30. The live stream of the key match will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. The match can also be watched live on Star Sports.
