Venue: SuperSports Park, Centurion
Time: 1:30 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 287
Win percentage while batting first: 33.33%
Pitch conditions:
- The pitch at the SuperSport Park in Centurion — where South Africa have won both the Tests played against India so far — is a tricky one. It is known to be slow at the start but picks up in pace for the fast bowlers, before slowing down again.
- Fast bowlers have enjoyed the majority of success in terms of dominating batsmen with seam movement and pace, as a wicket-share percentage of 93.07% puts them way ahead of the spinners who have got the remaining of 6.93% of the dismissals.
Weather prediction:
The opening Test between India and South Africa might be hampered by thunderstorms, as rains are expected on the first, second and fifth day of the game. In between, on the third and the fourth day, there will be partly cloudy to bright sunshine-like conditions in Centurion. The temperatures will remain under 30°C and humidity will be in high of 90% and more.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: 39
India won: 14
South Africa won: 15
Draw: 10
No result / tied: -
In South Africa:
Matches played: 20
India won: 3
South Africa won: 10
Draw: 7
No result / tied: -
At SuperSport Park, Centurion:
Matches played: 2
India won: -
South Africa won: 2
Draw: -
No result / tied: -
Top 3 players from India: Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami
Top 3 players from South Africa: Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from India: Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul
Top 5 players from New Zealand: Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Will Young, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
The SuperSports Park in Centurion is known for assisting fast bowlers and the upcoming three-match Test series for the Freedom Series between India and South Africa is going to be a tight contest between the bowling attacks of the two teams. The touring Indian cricket team are fancying their chances of fancy their chances of recording first ever series win in South Africa but it is not going to be easy given that the challenges as far as conditions and pitches in South Africa percent are too great. Indian team has a fresh batting line-up given that it's been more than two years since their captain Virat Kohli and their main middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara scored centuries in the Test format, and South Africa is a country where it is very difficult to get to triple figures in red-ball cricket. Adding more to the bowling strength and getting batsmen who can weather storms and be brave and tough conditions will be the right approach to constitute a fantasy cricket playing XI for this contest.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
This is indeed a very tricky answer to give. Both India and South Africa have their own strengths — India are the world No 1 side and have enough firepower across departments in their ranks whereas South Africa are playing in their home conditions and should be able to exploit them more than the visitors. But given how the Indian team has fed on the road over the last one year also, winning series in Australia and then beating England 2-1 in a curtailed series for the Pataudi Trophy, the Indian team is certainly strong and should have more players featuring in the fantasy cricket playing XI.
MORE INFORMATION: This will be the first assignment for South Africa in the new cycle of World Test Championship 2021-23 after sitting idle for a long span of six months of no red-ball cricket action at all. While South Africa can be expected to be a little rusty given that they are coming off a long break, the Indian team is primed up for some tough fight in the Protea land as they are eyeing their maiden series win. India will be without their new Test vice captain in Rohit Sharma, who also happens to be their best batsman in the format for the last two years or so — in terms of runs scored and impact made. Rishabh Pant is set to resume wicketkeeping duties after Wriddhiman Saha stood in for him in the series at home against New Zealand. On the other hand, South Africa has plenty of nutrients in their ranks and it remains to be seen what some of them have to offer against the world's best Test team.
Players’ form: His form, in the only format that he plays, has left him in a very troubled position. Ajinkya Rahane has lost his Test vice-captaincy to Rohit Sharma and it is possible that the former batsman will sit out from the team for the opening Test against South Africa, especially when there is an intense competition between other deserving players who have shown both skills and form. The Indian team is spoilt for choices given that we have the likes of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer — who had a terrific series against New Zealand — at their disposal. In the bowling department, India have all their first choice players available which means that the home team South Africa or a for a stern challenge. On their part, South Africa will depend on the experience and class of captain Dean Elgar, opener Aiden Markram, middle-order batsmen Rassie van der Dussen, vice-captain Temba Bavuma and the class of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. The hot should not miss their right-arm fast bowler Anrich Nortje who has been ruled out of the series.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
Likely XIs:
India: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer/Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
South Africa: Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier
Fantasy XI: Dean Elgar, KL Rahul (c), Aiden Markram / Quinton de Kock (wk), Virat Kohli, Rassie van der Dussen, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shardul Thakur (vc), Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
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Confident India eye winning start to South Africa Test series
The newly crowned world No 1 team India are fancying their chances to record first-ever series victory in South Africa when they take on the hosts at the SuperSport Park in Centurion for the first match starting on Sunday, Boxing Day this year.
India have lost both the matches that they have played at this venue in Centurion and they will face a stern challenge from the home team, which is on the mend under the leadership of the left-handed opening batsman Dean Elgar and the diminutive but extremely talented Temba Bavuma.
South Africa are without the services of their workhorse Anrich Nortje for the series who has been ruled out due to a hip injury but the presence of Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj make this South African bowling attack look extremely formidable especially in their own conditions.
On the other hand, India or fancying their chances this time around since they have recently climbed back to the top of the tree in the Cricket rankings for teams in Test cricket, and have an extremely formidable unit with a dangerous bowling line-up to challenge any team in their home conditions.
India defeated Australia and nearly beat England in an uncompleted series in their last overseas assignments, and there is no reason why the Virat Kohli-led team, which has a new vice-captain in KL Rahul and a new head coach Rahul Dravid along with a string of other changes, to achieve what they have set out for.
India will face selection dilemma given that both Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari reserve a spot in the lower middle order even though there is a possible opening at the No 5 position in the form of Ajinkya Rahane, whose string of poor performances have potentially ruled him out of a spot.
Kohli's last century came in November 2019 and for Pujara, the story is the same as his last triple figure in Test cricket was recorded in January that year. Given that South Africa is a country where it is not easy to get to triple-figure marks, these two batting heavyweights of Indian team will have to fight all the odds that are stacked against them in order to help the team’s cause of winning a Test cricket series at the tip of Africa.
South Africa have not played Test cricket for the last six months or so, ever since they recorded a 2-0 away victory in the West Indies. While that marked a strong start to the Dean Elgar leadership era, it remains to be seen how this young and inexperienced South African team goes about their business against top-flight teams while giving a stern challenge and competition in the new World Test Championship cycle. The Proteas had finished fifth in the inaugural edition and they would certainly be aiming to get better in the new WTC cycle.
The home team is carrying several young and uncapped players in their 21-member strong squad for this series, which will be played behind closed doors given the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which had at one stage threatened the tour altogether. For what it is worth, this series was set to have started on December 17 but got postponed by one week, with the two cricket boards deciding to organise the T20Is sometime later.
