South Africa vs India, 1st Test: India Predicted XI

After a dominating run in home conditions, the actual ‘test’ for team India beckons now. The South Africa vs India series, as admitted by many, could actually end up defining the way Indian cricket will shape up in coming months and years. The Virat Kohli-led side has been untouched at home in the recent times. They have not conceded a single Test series in the last two seasons.

This, certainly, is a big boost to the confidence of the Indian setup. They have seen a meteoric rise to the helm of Test cricket as a result of their total domination at home. However, the cricket pundits believe that no team can achieve greatness without registering wins on the overseas tours. For Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, the South Africa vs India series promises to be the first such major overseas hurdle.

Team India has excelled in the Caribbean and in Sri Lanka. However, the opposition right now is the apex predator at home conditions – South Africa. The tour unfolds on January 5 with both sides locking horns at Cape Town in the first Test. Cape Town is likely to be the only venue where team India could feel comfortable in terms of the conditions.

Cape Town has historically been the most spin friendly track in South Africa. The permutations and combinations have already started and the selection conundrums for both sides are immense. Here we try to figure out the players who could potentially be in the playing eleven for the first Test of the 3-match series.

Here is the probable Indian lineup for first Test match against South Africa:

Openers (Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan)

Team India were hit early on the tour even before the action had kickstarted. Regular opener Shikhar Dhawan was reportedly ruled out of the first Test following an injury concern. This, in a way, had come as a relief to the selection headaches. The team boasts of three quality openers in KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, and Murali Vijay.

In the previous 3-match Test series against Sri Lanka, the team had fielded three different opening combinations in three games. A last moment update from the BCCI on Shikhar Dhawan now sees the conundrums come back again. Shikhar has been declared fit by the BCCI. Coming to Cape Town, the team is thus set to see Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan opening for them.

While Murali Vijay has been in tremendous form in the longest format, Dhawan has had a sensational run too. Meanwhile, if the team opts to give Dhawan some more recovery time, KL Rahul could benefit from the same. Rahul hit two fifties in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Middle-Order (Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane)

The Indian middle-order looks set for the game. They have three big names in the lineup. Cheteshwar Pujara has been accumulating runs at will in the format. Arguably the most consistent Indian batsman in Tests, Pujara will arrive in to the series riding on some serious form of 2017.

Meanwhile, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli needs no introduction in the middle order. He recently hammered two consecutive double tons against Sri Lanka in the home series. Much like the Indian team, Kohli, too, on the personal front, has a lot to prove in overseas conditions.

At number 5, Ajinkya Rahane is a certain starter. Rahane has had a troubled time in the last couple of assignments. In the 5 innings he played against Sri Lanka at home, he could only muster 17 runs. However, he has been one of India’s top performers in overseas conditions. He would hope to strike his form soon on the tour.

All-rounder (Hardik Pandya)

Hardik Pandya is all set to be back in Indian whites in the South Africa vs India series. He had opted for rest in the Test series against Sri Lanka at home. Prior to that, the Baroda all-rounder had a merry time in the reverse fixtures against the same side. He had also hit his maiden Test century on that tour. However, he seems to have lost his form in the recent times. He would be seeking redemption as a bowler, and as a batsman on the tour.

Wicket-keeper (Wriddhiman Saha)

Wriddhiman Saha is a certain starter for the match. The Bengal wicketkeeper has been India’s first choice wicketkeeper in the longest format of the game for almost 3 years now. Albeit there is Parthiv Patel in the squad, Saha is set to take the field in the first South Africa vs India Test. Saha needs to up his game in order to stay afloat in the side. He had a quiet time in the Sri Lanka series at home.

Spinners (Ravichandran Ashwin)

While many might believe that the visitors should field just one spinner, there is a very strong chance of the Indian team management going in with their spin twins – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Both bowlers claim supremacy when it comes to the longest format. They are in the top 10 bowlers in Test cricket.

However, having said that, it is worth noting that the pitch curator has hinted at not much spin assistance. Considering this mind, the team might wish to rope in an additional seamer in place of a spinner. Ravindra Jadeja, in this case, could be the one missing out on the spot in the side.

Pace bowlers (Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar)

The major selection conundrum for the Indian side on the tour would be in the pace bowling department. The squad boasts of four top quality pacers in Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammad Shami. Considering the first game, the latter two are likely to get a look in as the first choice pace duo.

Shami is one of the leading reverse swing prospects for team India. Meanwhile, Umesh Yadav is known to tick some serious pace. He could do what Sreesanth did for the Indian team during their South Africa tour almost half a decade ago. He could trouble the Proteas batsmen with sheer pace.

The third pacer in the side could be Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The track at Newlands is expected to be dry surface. Hence, the team could end up picking up Bhuvi ahead of Ishant, who prefers hitting the deck hard instead of using the wear and tear of the tracks. Bhuvneshwar has emerged as India’s leading pacer across the three formats of the game.

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