India vs South Africa 1st Test: Who will Win Today's Match & 3 Key Players Battle
The IND vs SA 1st Test Match will be played on November 14, 2025, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This match is going to be very exciting as both teams have excellent batting & bowling units, especially India. So, both teams need to play their best cricket in the 1st Test. South Africa will be looking to win the series against India by 2-0..
South Africa is the defending champion of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-2027, but they haven't been playing good cricket in recent times, which might take away the title from them. However, South Africa is going with a somewhat inexperienced team; the middle order is quite new, so the Indian team will try to expose this weakness.
On the other hand, India has done an exceptional job in Test cricket. Currently, they are dominating in International cricket. India needs one more victory, and they will occupy second spot in the ICC WTC Points Table. India needs to continue the same momentum, but teams like South Africa will try to expose their weak points.
IND vs SA Head-to-Head in Test:
| Matches | India Won | South Africa Won |
| 44 | 16 | 18 |
Eden Gardens Pitch Report:
The Eden Gardens in Kolkata for the 1st Test between India and South Africa is expected to be a batting surface, but a slow surface. If we look at past records, the Eden Gardens favors batters & spinners due to its slow surface and fast outfield. Spinners will come into action as the game progresses and the pitch gets slower.
India vs South Africa Today Match Prediction:
Both teams have plenty of good players, but the Indian Team has a slight edge because of their home conditions. However, the South African Team has played good cricket in India in the past, and they are expected to perform better in the 1st Test in Kolkata.
3 Key Players Battle to Watch:
Shubman Gill vs Kagiso Rabada:
Shubman Gill is known for his calm batting, and Kagiso Rabada can trap him with his pace and bounce in the new ball. In recent times, Rabada has troubled Shubman a bit therefore it’s going to be interesting to see both the players in the 1st Test.
KL Rahul vs Kagiso Rabada:
Rahul has been one of the consistent players in this format, but he is quite struggling to convert the good start into a big inning. Kagiso Rabada has bowled phenomenally against him and expected to repeat the same in the 1st Test.
Temba Bavuma vs Kuldeep Yadav:
Temba Bavuma has joined the South Africa squad after a long break, and now, he has been back in the captaincy role. Kuldeep will try to use the conditions to get the wicket of Bavuma; however, he has a good record against him.
IND vs SA Playing XI [Expected]
| India Playing XI | South Africa Playing XI |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Aiden Markram |
| KL Rahul | Ryan Rickelton |
| Tony de Zorzi | |
| Shubman Gill (C) | Temba Bavuma (C) |
| Rishabh Pant | Dewald Brevis |
| Dhruv Jurel | Kyle Verreynne |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Marco Jansen |
| Washington Sunder | Senuran Muthusamy |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Keshav Maharaj |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Kagiso Rabada |
| Mohd. Siraj | Simron Harmar |
You May Like This: India and South Africa ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 Rankings | ICC WTC Points Table Ahead of IND vs SA 1st Test 2025
