IND vs SA 1st Test: India’s Playing11: It can be, now, said that the sheen of test cricket, the traditional form of the sport, has been revived in the last couple of years. Unlike earlier, there is huge excitement among the fans for the test series happening around the world and it gets bigger if it has something to do with Team India, who is set to play a two-game test series against South Africa.
India and South Africa will lock horns in the first of the two-match test series at the SuperSport Park in Centurian on December 26. The fixture is just one night away as we write this article for you.
While India will aim to win their maiden series in South Africa and become the second Asian side to conquer the Protean land, South Africa will have the sole objective of not allowing the opposition to do so.
In 2021-22, Team India managed to defeat South Africa in the first test, but the home side turned the tables in the next two games to deny Team India their first series win in South Africa.
In good news for the Indian side, star batter Virat Kohli has rejoined the Indian contingent after abruptly leaving the team midway due to personal reasons.
The key to winning in South Africa would begin with picking the right playing11 for the fixtures. Though India will be short on the playing options, they would not feel the urgent need for any special player.
Let’s now discuss India’s Playing11 picked by former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar:
IND vs SA 1st Test: India’s Playing11
Sunil Gavaskar came up with some interesting playing combinations for the Indian team ahead of the 1st IND vs SA test. The former cricketer turned analyst seemed to be impressed with Yashasvi Jaiswal and paired him alongside captain Rohit Sharma in the opening slot.
Shubman Gill, who usually opens with Rohit, was pushed down to number three by Gavaskar. The third position belonged to Cheteshwar Pujara earlier, but the batter has been dropped from the squad recently.
Virat Kohli retained his fourth place followed by KL Rahul at five, who will also have the added responsibility of wicketkeeping. Shreyas Iyer is placed at number 6 followed by two all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin at seventh and eighth positions.
Gavaskar picked three pacers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mukesh Kumar – as his three pace bowling options.
“My playing XI is gonna be very simple. The openers will be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma – the captain. No.3 Shubman Gill, No.4 – Kohli, No. 5 KL Rahul, and No.6 Shreyas Iyer. 5 and 6 can move, and after that will be Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Then I’ll have three fast bowlers – Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj,” Gavaskar added.
India’s Playing11 against South Africa 1st Test
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Mukesh Kumar.
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For more details head to ICC’s official website.