India vs South Africa 1st Test: Prasidh Krishna Makes Debut, Ravindra Jadeja Misses Out

Rajasthan Royals' right-arm pacer Prasidh Krishna is set to make his debut in the first Test match between South Africa and India.

Prasidh Krishna will make his Test debut against South Africa

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India, under Rohit Sharma's leadership, are underway on a quest for the first Test series victory in South Africa. In the ongoing first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion, South African Captain Temba Bavuma elected to have a ball and send India in to bat first. Previously, India and South Africa concluded a T20I series with a drawn result, while the Indian team, led by KL Rahul, claimed victory in the three-match ODI series with a 2-1 scoreline. India's squad features debutant Prasidh Krishna, the right-arm pacer whose stellar 5/43 performance against South Africa A secured his place in the Test side.

Ravichandran Ashwin is the lone frontline spinner for India due to Ravindra Jadeja's absence owing to upper back spasms. India have opted for a seam-heavy bowling attack, given favourable conditions for seamers over spinners in Centurion. Jasprit Bumrah also returns to red-ball cricket after a year, having previously captained India in England, where they suffered a defeat in a rescheduled Test.

South Africa's Bavuma won the toss and chose to field first, aiming to capitalise on the overcast conditions and moisture in the pitch. The Proteas have handed debuts to left-arm seamer Nandre Burger and batter David Bedingham.

Rohit Sharma, during the toss, emphasised the significance of setting a strong batting foundation, stating, “We are quite aware of the conditions, we have been here a few times. We need to put runs on the board and the bowlers will do the job for us. We do understand the challenge of batting first with the overhead conditions and the grass, but the guys are up for the challenge.”

In the ongoing World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle, India have won one Test and drawn another. They currently top the WTC standings with a Points Percentage System (PCT) of 66.67%, and a series victory will further solidify their position.

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger