South Africa vs India - 1st Test - Preview, Playing XI, Pitch Report and Updates

The much-awaited India's tour of South Africa gets underway today, December 26. It's a big series both for India and South Africa. The Virat Kohli-led side has been rampant in the last few years with wins in Australia and England, and South Africa remains their final frontier. Meanwhile, a win for South Africa against a strong Indian side will be a big boost for the team.

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Both teams boast of a quality bowling attack but their batting is a concern. While India have plenty of quality and experience in the batting department, the form of their batters is not that great. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have struggled of late. The team also have a few calls to make about their team selection. Ajinkya Rahane's extended lean patch has put in place in the playing XI in doubt. It'll be interesting to see if Rahane gets one more chance or India opt to give one of Shreyas Iyer or Hanuma Vihari a chance.

Meanwhile, South Africa too have plenty of issues in their batting. Barring Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, they don't seem to have a dependable Test batter. They have some quality in Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen, but they are yet to prove their credentials as Test batters. Also, the injury to Anrich Nortje is a big blow. The team though still has plenty of quality in the bowling department with Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Duanne Olivier at their disposal.

Pitch Report - The match will be at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The surface is usually favourable for pacers on the first two days before it gets flatter and easier to bat. The spinners come into play on Day 4 and 5.

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Probable XIs

South Africa - Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Keegan Petersen, Quinton de Kock (wk), Wiaan Mulder/ Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Keshav Maharaj.

India - Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.

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SA vs IND head-to-head

Overall

Played – 39 | South Africa – 15 | India – 14 | Draw – 10

In South Africa

Played – 20 | South Africa – 10 | India – 3 | Draw – 7

SA vs IND Broadcast Details

Match Timings – 1:30 PM IST

TV – Star Sports Network

Live Streaming – Disney+Hotstar