All eyes are on the start of the much-awaited India vs South Africa Test series on Boxing Day in Centurion, as the two top-notch teams will battle it out amid expectantly seamer-friendly conditions in the ultimate format of cricket. But the signs are not great, as far as play on Day 1 is concerned. (Cricket News | Full Coverage)
The weather forecast for the first two days of the Test match is rain-laden, and the eve of the game also saw the Indian team cancelling its practice session due to incessant downpour in Centurion. The development comes soon after the curator for the wicket at Supersport Park, Brain Bloy, expressed similar concern regarding the start of play.
“I don’t know what conditions will be like, whether we will get play on Day 1,” he had said before predicting cold conditions for the Test. “You are seeing a forecast on Day 1 and Day 2. It doesn’t look very good. The sun is out for four days and, so there will be some purchases for spinners, offer turn and bounce; with the weather forecast, I don’t know how accurate it will be as there will be a lot of rain,” Bloy had told PTI.
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Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma has said that the absence of Mohammed Shami will be a "big miss". Shami, India’s most successful pacer in recent times, has sustained a heel injury and has been ruled out of the Test series.
"It is a very important Test series. We have never won a series here. It's a big opportunity for us. We came close the last two times. That gives us a lot of excitement and encouragement to do our best. Our seamers have done well in Australia, England and South Africa. The seamers have to pull their weight in. (Mohammed) Shami will be a big miss," Rohit said at the pre-match press conference on the eve of the first Test.
Teams:
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.
