Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bowl first in the Boxing Day Test match between South Africa and India in Centurion. The weather is overcast and with overnight rain, the pitch and the surrounding areas were damp and that is why the toss was delayed. (Scorecard | Live Blog | Full Coverage)
Speaking at the toss, Temba Bavuma chose to bowl citing the overcast conditions. He said, "We'll bowl first. Wicket has been under covers, we want to use the moisture and make early inroads. Our boys have all got into reasonably fit conditions, Lungi is the only one who's not yet fully fit. Two debutants today - Nandre Burger and David Bedingham. We're playing with four seamers for this one. It is always difficult to come up against India, but we are ready with our preparation."
As for India, Rohit Sharma wasn't sure of batting or bowling first. He said, "Wasn't too sure (on batting or bowling). We are quite aware of the conditions, we have been here a few times. We need to put runs on the board and the bowlers will do the job for us. We do understand the challenge of batting first with the overhead conditions and the grass, but the guys are up for the challenge.
"Everytime we come here, we come with high hopes. We've come close in the last 2 tours. We are pretty confident with our squad and the make-up of our squad. We are playing with four seamers and a spinner. Ashwin is playing in place of Jadeja. Jaddu had a bit of a back spasm, so Ashwin comes in and he is a quality spinner to have. Prasidh is making his debut, along with the other pacers Shardul, Siraj and Bumrah."
Teams:
South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Earlier, the toss was delayed due to a wet outfield at SuperSport Park. Ravindra Jadeja misses out due to back and neck spasm as Prasidh Krishna gets the nod.
