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India look to beat ultimate frontier as South Africa wait at Fortress Centurion

Big image: India chase historical past

The ultimate frontier. That’s what South Africa has confirmed to be for India. Since South Africa’s readmission to worldwide cricket, India have made eight Test excursions to the nation. The closest they got here to successful was in 2010-11 when the three-match sequence ended 1-1.

Two years in the past, gamers and consultants alike felt that it was India’s “best opportunity” to win a Test sequence in South Africa. They gained the primary match however misplaced the following two to squander the possibility.

This time it is a shorter sequence, simply two Tests – in Centurion and Cape Town. Whichever workforce wins the primary may have an unassailable lead. With the frustration of the ODI World Cup nonetheless lingering and the planning for the T20 World Cup in thoughts, can India squeeze a chunk of historical past in between?

But as they skilled final time, it is simpler mentioned than achieved. Temba Bavuma and his males can be motivated to maintain their unbeaten residence document towards India intact. They may even be geared as much as give Dean Elgar, their former captain who will retire on the finish of this sequence, a becoming farewell.

The problem for South Africa can be to get into the Test groove as rapidly as potential – they final performed red-ball cricket in March. This can be their first task within the present World Test Championship cycle. India began theirs within the West Indies, the place they gained the primary Test earlier than rain pressured a draw within the second.

And the rain menace looms giant in Centurion as effectively. There is a forecast of rain on the primary two days of the Test.

Form information

South Africa WWDLL (final 5 Tests, most up-to-date first)
India DWLDL

In the highlight: Aiden Markram and KL Rahul

Aiden Markram is lastly changing into the batter he was destined to be. Earlier this 12 months, he accomplished the transformation in white-ball cricket, the place he discovered success within the center order. To revive his red-ball profession, he tried the identical in Test cricket as effectively. In 2022, he relinquished the opening slot and moved down the order however may handle solely 109 runs in seven innings, at a median of 15.57. At the beginning of 2023, he moved again to the highest of the order and scored 115, 47, 96 and 18 in two Tests towards West Indies. He can be eager to construct on that to develop into South Africa’s premier batter in all three codecs.

KL Rahul goes via a metamorphosis of his personal. In his newest avatar, he’ll bat within the center order and don the wicketkeeping gloves. He has been profitable at No. 4 and No. 5 in ODIs, however South Africa will not be a straightforward place to bat in. Rahul averages 25.60 in ten innings right here. However, in 9 of these innings, he opened the batting; a middle-order position could make issues barely extra comfy. He may even have the joyful reminiscence of scoring 100 in Centurion when India performed right here two years in the past.

His larger problem, maybe, can be behind the stumps. While he has been holding repeatedly in white-ball cricket, he has achieved so solely as soon as in first-class cricket, in a tour recreation in England in 2021.

Team news: Shardul Thakur or R Ashwin?

Kagiso Rabada (bruised heel) and Lungi Ngidi (ankle sprain) have recovered from their respective accidents and may characteristic within the taking part in XI. Keegan Petersen was the Player of the Series when India final toured South Africa, however his shares have plummeted since then and he’ll compete with uncapped David Bedingham for a spot.

South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Tony de Zorzi, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham/Keegan Petersen, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi

India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Shreyas Iyer, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur/R Ashwin, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Pitch and circumstances: It’s South Africa’s fortress

The pitch at SuperSport Park is without doubt one of the quickest in South Africa, and the rain and overcast circumstances may make it even spicier. Though Centurion has been South Africa’s fortress, with 22 wins in 28 Tests, India beat them by 113 runs right here on their final tour.

Stats and trivia: Kohli stands tall

  • Ashwin is 11 wickets away from changing into the ninth bowler to take 500 Test wickets.

  • Virat Kohli (51.35) is the one India batter (minimal 5 innings) to common greater than 50 in Tests in South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar is second on the checklist with 46.44.

  • Bavuma wants three extra runs to finish 3000 in Test cricket.

  • Shubman Gill is 34 in need of 1000 Test runs.

    • Quotes

    “Playing towards India comes with much more eyes and much more scrutiny when it comes to all the pieces we do. So it’s accepting that. And the opposite, the extra apparent one, is the talent issue on the sector. For me as a batter, the bowlers are going to place you beneath strain and their batting assault as effectively; they have famend Test gamers and guys who’ve carried out in all circumstances. They are a decided workforce as effectively, who need to have the ability to say they’ve gained a Test sequence right here in South Africa. So with [India having] that further little bit of drive and motivation, we’ll actually must be at our greatest.
    Temba Bavuma on the challenges of taking part in India

    Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

    Source web site: www.espncricinfo.com

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    2023-2025 articles ICC World Test Championship IND india news preview SA South Africa
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