RSA vs IND 1st Match Prediction

RSA vs IND Team Previews

South Africa

It is interesting to see how teams are prioritizing player availability for Test matches even though the format is considered to be a dying sport. Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, and Geral Coetzee were all rested during the white ball matches to make sure they are fresh and available for the opening Test.

South Africa’s bowling attack is dangerous and will pose some serious questions to the Indians. They should have a fair bit of assistance in terms of pace and bounce to help them as well. The bowler to watch will be Lungi Nagidi, as he consistently hits a hard length and moves the ball both ways off the seam.

Marco Jansen could also be a major factor in the Test series with his ability to contribute with the bat and ball. We do not doubt that South Africa’s bowling attack will be competitive. The problem is the batting lineup. 

Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, and Kyle Verreynne are all likely to be a part of the starting eleven. That may end up being a bit of a problem as neither of them has been playing cricket for a long time. Tony de Zorzi got runs in the white ball format and could be one to watch out for. 

Aiden Markram is the most experienced batter in the team but he has also not been able to translate his white ball success in the Test matches. 

India

India's Test team is very strong and that can be seen by the fact that India was the finalist in the previous two editions of the WTC. With Bumrah back to lead the attack, India will be hoping that it can make the jump and actually end up winning its first Test series in South Africa. 

Mohammad Shami has been ruled out of the series so Mohammad Siraj will have to step up. The issue will come in finding the third seamer. Shardul Thakur is likely to get the nod as he adds a bit of betting depth also. Prasidh Krishna gets extra bounce but his consistency is a big problem. 

India will also have to choose between Ashwin and Jadeja for this match since both of them are not going to be able to fit in the playing eleven. Looking at the history of how India has picked in the past, it looks almost certain that Ashwin will have to miss out. 

India's batting lineup is also quite strong with Gill, Sharma, Kohli, and KL Rahul in there. There has been news about Kohli returning home for a family emergency but he should be back for the start of the Test. Most of India's current squad has played in South Africa and has had some success also. 

We think this could be a tour where India uses that experience and is able to get over the hurdle.