NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli's team will back itself to change into the primary from India to win a Test collection on South African soil, coming because it does off a superb remaining two years and with players in shape and top on confidence, but history tells us that the challenge is mighty.
ALSO READ: New year, same challenges for Virat Kohli's India in South Africa
India are ranked No 1 in the ICC Test Championship after a heavy house season, and the tour of Sri Lanka this year, but have never won a chain in South Africa. From the only tour they controlled to draw a chain, only Ishant Sharma stays (and he's India's maximum capped player of this squad, too).
ALSO READ: Five questions for India forward of Cape Town Test
South Africa have a powerful team and benefit of understanding the conditions, and can have on the backs in their minds their tour to India in 2015, when on rank turners they had been overwhelmed Three-0. Already the controversy from the home camp has been of how India's upward thrust to No 1 has been constructed on Tests performed in Asia. Beating a powerful South African team of their backyard is the primary actual test for India because it embarks on a protracted and perhaps arduous away season.
While dry conditions in Cape Town, venue for the primary Test beginning January 5, have restricted the possibility of a right kind green best with tempo and bounce, there is not any doubt that the primary challenge for India is to triumph over South Africa's tempo battery.
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Start date: January 5, 2018
Time: 14:00 IST
Weather: Cloudy and humid with a maximum temperature of 23 levels
Team news:
South Africa
Skipper Faf du Plessis will slot back into the middle order, and with Quinton de Kock no longer 100 % after pulling a muscle all through the day-night Test as opposed to Zimbabwe, AB de Villiers will stay wickets once more. The allrounder Chris Morris is back, and may just take Andile Phehlukwayo's position. South Africa have to select between Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, which is the hard phase.
Steyn has no longer performed global cricket since November 2016, while Morkel is coming off 39 wickets in 2017 and helped damage Zimbabwe inside two days remaining month. South Africa's trainer has hinted that Steyn must no longer be rushed back, leaving Morkel to continue to bowl alongside Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander.
Probable XI: 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, Three Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 Faf du Plessis (caps), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Chris Morris/Andile Phehlukwayo, eight Vernon Philander, nine Kagiso Rabada, 10 Keshav Maharaja, 11 Morne Morkel
India
Who to bat at No 6? That seems to be India's largest conundrum. Hardik Pandya gives a good tempo option if the team opts for a 6-5 mixture. But will India need to expose Pandya, simply three Tests previous, at No 6 towards a well-oiled tempo attack? Rohit Sharma has shape on his facet in the remaining two months, and that might trump Pandya's all-round talents.
Shikhar Dhawan used to be passed have compatibility by means of the BCCI's clinical team two days ahead of the Test, because of this KL Rahul will in all chance heat the bench. The allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has been laid low with a "viral illness", according to the BCCI, which must clear the way for R Ashwin as the specialist spinner. However, if Kohli's pre-series feedback are a trademark, then the presence of simply two left-hand batsmen in the South African line-up must benefit Jadeja's inclusion. The tempo attack is prone to comprise Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant.
Probable XI: 1 Murali Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, Three Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma/Hardik Pandya, 7 R Ashwin, eight Wriddhiman Saha (wk), nine Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Ishant Sharma
Stats:
- In 235 mixed Test fits, the quartet of Steyn, Morkel, Philander and Rabada has taken 976 wickets.
- Ishant, Shami, Bhuvneshwar, Ishant and Pandya have mixed for 477 wickets in 164 Tests.
- South Africa have won 23 of 54 Tests at Newlands, losing 20 and drawing 11.
- Kohli, in two Tests in South Africa, has 272 runs with rankings of 119 and 96 in a single drawn Test.
Quotes:
"They [India] have played most of their games at home, so it'll be interesting to see how they go in South Africa. It's a total different ball game. We're going to have to wait and see once they pass the first Test match." - Vernon Philander.
"You cannot have a set pattern. You cannot go into a Test match thinking you are going to leave so many balls. You also have to be in a frame of mind where you also have to score runs. If they bowl in good areas, then you have to try to counter and come out stronger. These are the things, I think, which will be critical for us to move forward." - Murali Vijay.
ALSO READ: New year, same challenges for Virat Kohli's India in South Africa
India are ranked No 1 in the ICC Test Championship after a heavy house season, and the tour of Sri Lanka this year, but have never won a chain in South Africa. From the only tour they controlled to draw a chain, only Ishant Sharma stays (and he's India's maximum capped player of this squad, too).
ALSO READ: Five questions for India forward of Cape Town Test
South Africa have a powerful team and benefit of understanding the conditions, and can have on the backs in their minds their tour to India in 2015, when on rank turners they had been overwhelmed Three-0. Already the controversy from the home camp has been of how India's upward thrust to No 1 has been constructed on Tests performed in Asia. Beating a powerful South African team of their backyard is the primary actual test for India because it embarks on a protracted and perhaps arduous away season.
While dry conditions in Cape Town, venue for the primary Test beginning January 5, have restricted the possibility of a right kind green best with tempo and bounce, there is not any doubt that the primary challenge for India is to triumph over South Africa's tempo battery.
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Start date: January 5, 2018
Time: 14:00 IST
Weather: Cloudy and humid with a maximum temperature of 23 levels
Team news:
South Africa
Skipper Faf du Plessis will slot back into the middle order, and with Quinton de Kock no longer 100 % after pulling a muscle all through the day-night Test as opposed to Zimbabwe, AB de Villiers will stay wickets once more. The allrounder Chris Morris is back, and may just take Andile Phehlukwayo's position. South Africa have to select between Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, which is the hard phase.
Steyn has no longer performed global cricket since November 2016, while Morkel is coming off 39 wickets in 2017 and helped damage Zimbabwe inside two days remaining month. South Africa's trainer has hinted that Steyn must no longer be rushed back, leaving Morkel to continue to bowl alongside Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander.
Probable XI: 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, Three Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 Faf du Plessis (caps), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Chris Morris/Andile Phehlukwayo, eight Vernon Philander, nine Kagiso Rabada, 10 Keshav Maharaja, 11 Morne Morkel
India
Who to bat at No 6? That seems to be India's largest conundrum. Hardik Pandya gives a good tempo option if the team opts for a 6-5 mixture. But will India need to expose Pandya, simply three Tests previous, at No 6 towards a well-oiled tempo attack? Rohit Sharma has shape on his facet in the remaining two months, and that might trump Pandya's all-round talents.
Shikhar Dhawan used to be passed have compatibility by means of the BCCI's clinical team two days ahead of the Test, because of this KL Rahul will in all chance heat the bench. The allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has been laid low with a "viral illness", according to the BCCI, which must clear the way for R Ashwin as the specialist spinner. However, if Kohli's pre-series feedback are a trademark, then the presence of simply two left-hand batsmen in the South African line-up must benefit Jadeja's inclusion. The tempo attack is prone to comprise Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant.
Probable XI: 1 Murali Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, Three Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma/Hardik Pandya, 7 R Ashwin, eight Wriddhiman Saha (wk), nine Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Ishant Sharma
Stats:
- In 235 mixed Test fits, the quartet of Steyn, Morkel, Philander and Rabada has taken 976 wickets.
- Ishant, Shami, Bhuvneshwar, Ishant and Pandya have mixed for 477 wickets in 164 Tests.
- South Africa have won 23 of 54 Tests at Newlands, losing 20 and drawing 11.
- Kohli, in two Tests in South Africa, has 272 runs with rankings of 119 and 96 in a single drawn Test.
Quotes:
"They [India] have played most of their games at home, so it'll be interesting to see how they go in South Africa. It's a total different ball game. We're going to have to wait and see once they pass the first Test match." - Vernon Philander.
"You cannot have a set pattern. You cannot go into a Test match thinking you are going to leave so many balls. You also have to be in a frame of mind where you also have to score runs. If they bowl in good areas, then you have to try to counter and come out stronger. These are the things, I think, which will be critical for us to move forward." - Murali Vijay.
1st Test: Can Virat Kohli’s India upstage bustling South Africa?
![1st Test: Can Virat Kohli’s India upstage bustling South Africa?]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
January 04, 2018
Rating:
