- Six defeats in last seven Tests in India set the stage for a daunting challenge
- Key battles: Maharaj’s spin vs Gill’s captaincy and form
South Africa begin what is widely regarded as their toughest tour in India, having lost six of their last seven Tests in the country, with the seventh curtailed by rain. Despite carrying an experienced squad, including Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj, the world champions face a formidable challenge against an Indian team still in transition but dominant at home.
Maharaj will shoulder a heavy workload as South Africa’s main spin option on pitches unlikely to assist seamers, while India’s Shubman Gill, fresh from a packed international schedule, will be central to their batting efforts. The hosts have also reinstated Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper, keeping Dhruv Jurel as a specialist batter in the XI.
Probable line-ups indicate a strong contest: India’s attack will rely on Bumrah and Siraj with spin support from Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav, while South Africa’s balanced unit includes Harmer, Maharaj, and Marco Jansen. Toss-winning sides could gain a key advantage on the Eden Gardens pitch, expected to be a good batting track with potential reverse swing later.
India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (C), 5 Rishabh Pant (WK), 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj
South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Tony de Zorzi, 5 Temba Bavuma (C), 6 Kyle Verreynne (WK), 7 Senuran Muthusamy, 8 Simon Harmer, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Kagiso Rabada
Statistically, South Africa have struggled in India across conditions, and both sides will watch key milestones closely: Kyle Verreynne is five dismissals short of 100 in Tests, and Ravindra Jadeja is ten runs from joining the 300-wickets/4000-runs club. A combination of experience, skill, and luck could decide whether South Africa can finally break their Indian jinx.
Last 5 Test form guide:
India: WWWDL (most recent first)
South Africa: WLWWW
