The last part of India’s trip to South Africa is underway, and for the two significant Test matches, all the major players have flown in. Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and skipper Temba Bavuma will all be back in action for South Africa. After the series, Dean Elgar, the former captain, will also retire.
Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin will be playing. India do have some selection headaches to take care of ahead of the boxing day test match. They may have to make some tough decisions and leave out two or three key players in order to find the right balance for the playing XI.
India’s predicted playing XI for 1st Test against South Africa
1) Top Order (Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill)
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal (Source – Twitter)
Yashasvi Jaiswal has played just two test matches but has proved his pedigree to the team management. Being a left-handed opener, he ticked the right boxes at the right time and looks set to open for Team India in this format for a long time. The South African attack would surely test the youngster, however, if he can overcome this, it would be an impressive thing to do at his tender age.
The Indian team skipper would be in action for the first time since the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia. The fans would be hoping that the captain would be focussed on the task at hand and would have moved on from the loss. Rohit Sharma’s record in South Africa has been dismal but he can improve it this time around as he looks to open for the first time possible.
Shubman Gill looked out of touch when he batted at the number three spot during India’s last test series against West Indies. However, he has shown the potential that if he is given the backing, he can be a strong player for Team India. This tour would be a stern test for the Gujarat Titans skipper and one that he would be looking to win
2) Middle Order (Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer)
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer (Source – Twitter)
Former Team India captain Virat Kohli returns to South Africa after 2 years and revenge would be the only thing he would wish for. In January 2021, just after the South Africa series, Virat Kohli relinquished his test captaincy. The batter would be hoping to score runs and emerge as a major problem for the South African bowlers.
The ODI World Cup 2023 showed KL Rahul’s impressive growth of KL Rahul as a wicketkeeper-batter. The Indian team management have taken notes and would want to test the batter out in Test cricket as well. This may be a short-term role or maybe till the time Rishabh Pant gets fit and joins the Indian team. His batting pedigree in away tests is unmatched and in a new role in Tests, he might thrive for Team India as well.
Shreyas Iyer has been in and out of the Indian test team mostly due to his constant injuries. He last played a test during the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in February this year. The Kolkata Knight Riders has shown that he has everything to be a constant number six batter for the side in Tests.
3) All-rounders (Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur)
Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja (Source – Twitter)
This is the tricky part for the team management since India has the option of choosing two out of the three all-rounders in the squad. Looking at the rumoured Centurion pitch, it is very unlikely that two spinners would be in the playing XI. Therefore, Shardul Thakur will be in the line-up against South Africa and he bat at number eight.
The choice between Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin for an away test has emerged once again. Ashwin played the major chunk of matches in South Africa in 2021 but was hardly effective. Therefore, the team might look at Ravindra Jadeja for his batting prowess and his ability to bowl economical spells throughout the game
4) Bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj)
Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah (Source – Twitter)
The onus falls on Jasprit Bumrah to lead the bowling attack in the absence of Mohammed Shami. He last played a test for India during July 2022 against England where he captained the side. His skill is still there and can be one of the most fearsome bowlers to face on South African wickets.
Mohammed Siraj’s aggression would be in demand by the Indian skipper and team management if they desire to win the series this time around. He has been a constant in the Indian test team since 2021 and would be gunning for the top wicket-taker award during this series.
Prasidh Krishna is likely to make his test debut and occupy the place of Mohammed Shami in the test line-up. His height and lateral movement ability will be a plus for the Indian team. He can cause trouble to the batters with his pace as well and would look to shine on his Test debut for India.
