Finally:
The Indian team last toured South Africa in 2017-18, having looked poor in the first two Tests, winning the last match in Johannesburg 2-1. After that the Indian Test team started playing intimidatingly on foreign soil.
Twice won the Test series on Australian soil, setting a historic record. England also played well on the soil. Following this, there is a lot of anticipation for the Indian team as they are currently touring South Africa and playing Tests.
Centurion Record:
South Africa have won 21 of the 26 Tests played at Centurion, where the first match will be played. Has drawn 3 matches and suffered 2 defeats. These failures are just before 2015. India have played 2 matches at this ground and lost both. Thus, South Africa decided to play the first match at a ground favorable to India and give a heavy blow to the start.
Proposed XI of India:
With India opener Rohit Sharma sidelined due to injury, it is almost certain that KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal will make their debuts. Cheteshwar Pujara is likely to bang in the next spot. If he does not prove his mettle in this match, he may be dropped from the team. Thus, there is expectation on him.
Heavy competition:
Next up is Virat Kohli. There is a fierce competition for the 5th place. There are Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari. Of these, Rahane seems to be the most preferred. The reason is that he has played in 3 Tests on South African soil and has amassed 266 runs at an average of 53. The maximum is 96 runs.
Last 6 people:
Also, as vice-captain KL Rahul has said that the Indian team will definitely field with 5 bowlers and take 20 wickets in South Africa, Hanuma Vihari is unlikely to get the 6th spot. Rishabh Bandh, Ravichandran Aswin, Shardul Tagore, Jaspreet Bumra, Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj are all set to make their debuts. With the addition of Shardul to replace Ishant Sharma, India will have batsmen up to 8th.
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