India and South Africa will clash in the Boxing Day fixture for the first Test match in Centurion on Tuesday. As Rohit Sharma's men battle it out with Temba Bavuma's XI, here are a few key player battles to look out for
India will start their Test campaign against South Africa with the first Test match of the two-game bilateral series on Tuesday at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The Boxing Day fixture is going to be an important match considering the World Test Championship ratings. (Live Blog | Full Coverage | Cricket News)
Senior players like Indian captain Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli and lethal bowler Jasprit Bumrah will play their first international match after the ODI World Cup 2023 final. Rohit Sharma will lead the side and Jasprit Bumrah is named his deputy in the longest format. Virat Kohli has also joined the team after he came back to India before the start of the practice matches.
South African side will be captained by their full-time captain Temba Bavuma. Veteran batter Dean Elgar has announced that he will retire from international cricket after the conclusion of the Test series against India. Fast bowlers Kagiso Tabad and Lungi Ngidi are coming back to the side after suffering from injuries and their selection in the playing XI will be dependent on their recovery.
Before that, Indian pacer Mohammed Shami was ruled out of the Test series after not being successfully recovered from an ankle injury. India have not won any Test series on South African soil and Indian veterans must be looking to break that record. Before the start of the first Test, there are three key battles to look out for in the match:
1. Rohit Sharma vs Kagiso Rabada
The Indian cricket team captain, Rohit Sharma, is set to play his first international match since the ODI World Cup final loss against Australia last month. Although Rohit has been successful in white-ball cricket, he has not achieved the same level of success in the traditional format. However, he is known for his amazing pull-shot and the pitch at Centurion might provide the bounce that fast bowlers love. On the other hand, Kagiso Rabada, who is a good out-swinger, may have an advantage as Rohit has been seen struggling on such deliveries at the start of the innings. Rohit will also have to adjust to the red-ball cricket environment after playing white-ball cricket for so long.
ALSO READ: Fanie de Villiers' Verdict
2. Jasprit Bumrah vs Dean Elgar
Former South African captain, Dean Elgar, usually comes to bat in the top order and is known for his love of facing the pace bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah is considered one of the deadliest fast bowlers in any format of the game and his battle with Elgar is sure going to be an interesting one. It has been announced that Dean Elgar will retire from international cricket after the second Test match against India. Bumrah has a good bowling average in Tests in South Africa and he is looking to continue that in his first international match after a gap of more than one month. Elgar would also try to say goodbye to cricket on a high note.
3. Virat Kohli vs Lungi Ngidi
Virat Kohli, the star batter from India, has scored 29 Test centuries in his cricket career. During his visit to South Africa in 2018, Lungi Ngidi dismissed him twice in the two Tests. Kohli is the backbone of Indian batting and his wicket holds great importance in the match. Ngidi will lead the Proteas bowling attack alongside Kagiso Rabada on the pitch in Centurion, which offers help to fast bowlers. The extra pace might create some problems for the modern-day great. Virat has scored 719 runs in seven Tests in South Africa, including two centuries and three fifties.
Squads:
South Africa Test squad: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk).
India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran.