India vs South Africa, 1st Test: Stats Preview of Players' Records and Approaching Milestones

After levelling the T20 international series 1-1 (3) and losing the one-day internationals 1-2 (3), South Africa (SA) now lock horns with Asian giants India (IND) in a two-match Test series. The first encounter is all set to be played on Boxing Day, December 26, 2023, at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The second game is scheduled to take place on January 03, 2024, at Newlands in Cape Town.

The home side welcomes Temba Bavuma, their ODI and Test skipper after he missed the 50-over series. Seam bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi are also back in the mix while left-handed opening batter Dean Elgar will be playing his last series as he has announced his retirement from international cricket. Elgar will open the innings alongside T20I skipper Aiden Markram with Bavuma slotted at No. 4. Tony de Zorzi, who had an impressive ODI series, is likely to bat at No. 3

The visitors are also buoyed by the return of Rohit Sharma along with other big guns like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal is all set to open with his captain Rohit while Shubman Gill drops one place down at No. 3. Pacers Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Prasidh Krishna look set to partner Bumrah in the seam department. The tourists have never won a Test series on the African soil and this presents a perfect opportunity for Rohit and his men to finally end the jinx.

Also check: SA vs IND Live Score, 1st Test

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers ahead of the 1^st Test between South Africa and India:

96 - Rohit Sharma (1904) needs 96 runs to complete 2000 runs against South Africa in international cricket.

66 - Virat Kohli (1934) needs 66 runs to complete 2000 runs across formats in the year 2023.

34 - Shubman Gill (966) is 34 runs short of completing the landmark of 1000 runs in Test cricket.

51 - Shreyas Iyer (949) needs 51 runs to complete 1000 runs across formats in 2023.

11 - Ravichandran Ashwin (489) is 11 wickets away from reaching the milestone of 500 wickets in the Test format.

2 - Ravindra Jadeja (548) needs two wickets to complete 550 wickets across formats.

3 - Temba Bavuma (2997) needs three runs to complete 3000 runs in Test matches.

6 - Marco Jansen (44) requires six scalps to complete 50 wickets in Test cricket.

5 - Kagiso Rabada (495) requires five wickets to reach the landmark of 500 wickets across formats.

1 - Lungi Ngidi (199) is one wicket away from reaching 200 scalps in international cricket.

6 - Kagiso Rabada (44) requires six wickets to complete 50 wickets against India in Tests.

Also check: Batting and Bowling Stats of SA vs IND