India vs South Africa:
India vs South Africa began their two-match Test series at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with the visiting team winning the toss and electing to bat. In a surprising development, South Africa entered the first Test without their top fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada, who was out with a rib injury. All-rounder Corbin Bosh was included in the playing XI.
Toss: South Africa elect to bat; India suffer toss drought
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma correctly called the toss and elected to strike first on a fresh and dry pitch in Kolkata. As a result, India faced their eighth consecutive toss defeat in Test cricket. Shubman Gill joked that his fortunes could only change in the 2027 World Test Championship final.
Bavuma confirmed Rabada’s absence and welcomed Bosh into the XI. India, who were called to bowl first, had to go with a spin-heavy lineup, which included four spinners.
Pant returns for India
Apart from Rabada’s absence, India also had some changes of their own. Star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is back in the team after recovering from an injury. Meanwhile, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out of the series, was not in the running for the match. Dhruv Jurel retains his place as a specialist batsman, and India have opted for a four-spinner combination including Jadeja, Axar, Kuldeep and Washington Sundar.
What the captains said after the toss:
Temba Bavuma
We will have the bat. The boys have just returned from Pakistan. I was with the team. In terms of preparation, we have tried our best. You don’t get a chance to play in front of 50,000-60,000 fans every day. So, I am eagerly waiting for the challenge. Coming back to India is always an eye-opener. Looking forward to everything. Now (after becoming World Test Champions) it’s going well. Hopefully, nothing will change really. Performance-wise, do it with more pride. But to continue what we’re doing. (On the pitch) It’s on the dry side. Not much grass. It’s a typical Indian wicket. First innings runs are the key. Rabada missed out with a rib injury, and Corbin Bosh came in his place.
Shubman Gill
(Losing another toss) I think the toss I’m going to win is expected in the WTC final. Yeah. Looks like a good surface. Hopefully, we can make some moves early on and figure it out. The dressing room is pretty amazing. This Test team is very hungry and always determined to perform whenever we step on the field. These two Test matches are very important for us and we’re as hungry as ever. Looks like a good surface. It’s going to be a good surface for the first day or two. Hopefully, as the game progresses, we’ll get some turns. Since we last played, Rishabh has returned to replace Reddy. And Akshar is also back in the team.
