India vs South Africa 1st Test Weather & Pitch Report: Team India is set to feature in a red-ball assignment for the first time since the conclusion of the ICC ODI World Cup last month. After the multi-nation event was over, India played five T20Is against Australia before jetting off to South Africa on a multi-format tour. Under the captaincy of KL Rahul, the Men in Blue has registered a remarkable win in the ODI series after the T20I leg ended in a 1-1 draw. Several veteran players including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stayed out of both white-ball series. Including the iconic duo, some other senior members will be seen in action in the Test series.
The opening game of the two-match Test series will be played at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Johannesburg from December 26, also known as Boxing Day. The on-field proceedings will begin at 1:30 PM on each of the five days. As many as 12 players, who played in the ODI series, will not be part of the Indian squad featuring in the Tests. The experienced duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are expected to take on the responsibility of the new ball as the South African surfaces demand pace and bounce. Proteas captain Temba Bavuma, who also stayed out of the ODI series, will return to his role in the Test series again.
Pitch Report
The wicket at SuperSport Park is expected to offer assistance to quicker bowlers, with the surfacing having significant pace and bounce. The batter must be more cautious during the opening sessions when pacers can dominate the proceedings. India might field two spinners but they will need to struggle hard for wickets. At SuperSport Park, the average first-innings score in a Test match is 330. The captain winning the toss should choose to bat first as the fourth-innings chase will be difficult at this venue.
Weather Report
There is a high chance for rain to play a spoilsport during the opening Test between India and South Africa. Starting from December 26, the five-day proceedings can be affected by scattered thunderstorms as the weather in Centurion is expected to remain overcast during this period. The temperature could hover around 11 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius, while the humidity is anticipated to be around 60-85 percent. The wind speed will be around 20-25 km/h during the match.
IND vs SA Full Squad
IND Full Squad For First Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KS Baharat (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Prasidh Krishna.
SA Full Squad For First Test: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne
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