The three-match Test series between South Africa Vs India will start from Wednesday, 26th December 2021 at Centurion. Like all other tours to South Africa, this tour is again a challenging one. The Indian team has been in good nick in Test Cricket. Their series win in Australia was awesome, and they ran close to winning the Test series in England.
But things will be difficult for the Indian batters in the Proteas Nation. The Indian team will miss the services of Rohit Sharma. India’s Hit Man has sustained a left hamstring injury while practicing in BKC Complex, and with that, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shubman Gill will also miss the Test series against South Africa due to their injuries.
The wickets in South Africa have true pace and bounce. With that, the Proteas have a quality pace. Like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, Bowlers are the leading fast bowlers of their team. India also has Bumrah, Shami, and Shardul Thakur in their mix. But it is the batters who should take more responsibility in the upcoming Test series against South Africa.
When India toured South Africa the last time around in 2017/2018, the bowlers did a good job and fought against the home side. But the Indian Batsmen could not show any fight against the South African bowlers, and that is the main reason Virat and Co lost the Test series despite brilliant efforts from Shami and Bumrah, who were the highest wickets takers for India in that series.
There have been only three captains who have won a Test match in South Africa so far. Rahul Dravid, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Virat Kohli are the only Indian Captains who won one Test match on South Africa’s soil. Read here more – Top 3 Indian Captains Who Have Won a Test Match on South African Soil – CricIndia365.
India is yet to win a Test series in South Africa, and on this tour, Virat and Dravid will look to end their series losing streak in the Proteas Nation. So today, we have brought Five Indian Batsmen who could help India script history in South Africa. The tourist side will want these batters to stand up in challenging and tough situations of South Africa.
Virat Kohli
The Indian captain is the one player who is always on the list of players to watch out for in whichever format he plays for India. Virat has been having a tough time for two years, and his century drought is increasing day by day and series after series as we all know that the Indian captain hasn’t scored even one hundred since 2019. South Africa may be his jinx to break this streak. Kohli likes playing against South Africa, and he is the only player in the current Indian setup who has scored 1000 runs against them in Test matches.
But the pitches in that country will challenge Kohli, and the pace bowlers of South Africa will trouble the Indian skipper more often than he was troubled elsewhere. Kohli loves challenges, and the Virat Kohli fans will hope that the Indian skipper will shine in South Africa this time around.
Ajinkya Rahane
India will not have Rohit Sharma as their vice-captain for this Test series, and maybe, Ajinkya Rahane will be bestowed on that role once again in the absence of Hit Man. Rahane has been in poor form. He has got good starts in the Test innings he played so far. But the Test specialist batsman hasn’t converted them into a big one. Rahane needs to play an innings as he played in Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia last year.
But the pitches in South Africa will not allow him as they are difficult for the batsman who is not in good form. Rahane has toured South Africa before, so he needs to use all his experience to tackle this situation that is in his control. If Rahane fails to deliver, this might be the last series for him in the longer format.
Cheteshwar Pujara
India’s good number three batter in Test cricket needs to be consistent. Cheteshwar Pujara hasn’t scored those big centuries for India in the Test matches as he used to score before. He has played well in Australia in the 2020/2021 tour. His brilliant defense had frustrated the Aussies in Sydney, which helped India draw that Test match.
Pujara also had a decent Test series in England. But India will need a big century from the Wall of India. Pujara had scored a ton in South Africa before, so he knows how to build an innings on those pacey and bouncy pitches. In three matches, Pujara should play a defining knock at least in two games, giving India an outside chance of winning their first Test series in South Africa.
KL Rahul
The majestic Indian opener had made a good comeback in England. KL Rahul also scored a century at Lords Cricket Ground, and his name is on the honors board of the Mecca of Cricket Stadium. But at the same time, Rahul also missed the Test series at home against New Zealand. So he might be rusty, which is not a good sign for India ahead of this all-important tour. India will need Rahul to show his class and grit. He needs to bat in the same way as he did in England a few months ago. The conditions in the Proteas Nation will be different from the UK tour, and KL needs to adapt that in no time. In this series, he would be opening with his PBKS mate, Mayank Agarwal. Rahul and Mayank know each other well, and they should continue complementing each other in the grueling Test series of South Africa.
Mayank Agarwal
Another Indian opener whose form will be vital for India’s chances in South Africa. Mayank Agarwal was not part of the England tour. He missed that series due to injury. He made a wonderful start to his Test carer in Australia and helped India win their first-ever series Down Under in 72 years. Agarwal should continue his good run in Test matches and repeat the performances of the last Test match in Mumbai. After failing in the Kanpur Test match, Mayank made sure that he delivered in the Mumbai Test match. The Indian opener batted well in both innings and allowed India to win that Test match by a mammoth margin.
In the absence of Rohit Sharma, India will need a good and positive start to their innings. Mayank and Rahul have batted so many times in the IPL, and they have done well as an opening pair in that cash-rich league tournament. They need to apply the same form and intensity to achieve success in South Africa. India will need runs from the top five to achieve a rare series win in those challenging conditions and against the South African pace attack.
