The highly anticipated Freedom series between India and South Africa kicked off some time back at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The toss was won by the home captain Temba Bavuma, who elected to bowl first on what is a green surface. There is also a lot of moisture underneath the surface because of the rain that has happened in the past 48 hours.
India has had a terrible start as they have lost three wickets for just 38 runs with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill back in the pavilion. South Africa’s debutant Nandre Burger picked up two wickets while Kagiso Rabada picked up one. Sharma was caught at the fine leg while attempting a pull shot while both Jaiswal and Gill edged deliveries to the wicketkeeper, Kyle Verreynne. India now needs former-captain Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer a year to forge a long partnership to make a comeback. South Africa, on the other hand, will be looking to get a couple of more wickets to get into the Indian tail.
Debutants for both sides
For South Africa, David Bedingham and Nandre Burger were handed their maiden Test caps while India handed a Test debut to Prasidh Krishna. It is a special occasion for all three of them as Test Cricket is the pinnacle of the game. Burger has already made a mark on debut which will further motivate the other two.
Classic ‘Rohit’ at the toss
Today, Rohit Sharma is playing his first game since that fateful night of November 19. Back after a while, Rohit delivered a classic moment during the toss.
After Temba Bavuma won the toss and decided to bat, the presenter, Mpumelelo Pommie Mbangwa quizzed the India skipper on what his decision would have been had he won the flip of the coin. Rohit made it known that it was good to lose the toss as he was not sure about what would be the better choice given the pitch and conditions. “Honestly, I was not too sure. In times like these, it’s better to lose the toss,” he said.
