IND vs SA, first Test: Key game changers from Team India

Mumbai: After leading India to a historic series win in Sri Lanka, Team India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli will be eager to make his debut as the skipper in whites leading the team on Indian soil when hosts India kick off their four-match Test series against Hashim Amla-led South Africa, first of which begins in Mohali on November 5.

The Proteas are oozing with confidence after a historic series away win against India both in the recently concluded T20I series and the five-match ODI series.

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The visitors were brilliant in all departments with match-winning performances from wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (won’t feature in the Tests and is replaced by Dane Vilas), most notably his two tons in the ODI series and AB de Villiers’ three centuries that took the game away from the Indians on pitches that were favourable to Indian bowlers.

With a strike-rate of 134.59, South Africa’s ODI captain de Villiers was the highest run-scorer in the series, who finished with 358 runs. But the standout performance for the Proteas and a huge positive for Russell Domingo was 20-year-old Kagiso Rabada, who along with the fiery Dale Steyn, both finished with 10 wickets a piece in the series. On hindsight, it was Rabada who proved to be quite a handful for the Indian batsmen with his well-directed short deliveries coupled with raw pace.

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The Indians too drew many positives from the series, but not as much as compared to their opponents. A good sign however was Ajinkya Rahane maintaining his sparkling form with four half-centuries during the ODI series striking the ball from the sweet spot.

Going into the four-match Test rubber, an eye should be kept on these players. They are capable of swinging the match around with either the bat or the ball.

Ravichandran Ashwin

India’s premier off-spinner and ODI skipper MS Dhoni’s go-to man Ravichandran Ashwin’s side strain injury he encountered while fielding off his own delivery was a great loss for India during the ODI series. The tweaker from Tamil Nadu, is fit again and in all probability feature in the first Test at Mohali, where spinners might steal the show. A real treat to watch — with many variations in his armoury, Ashwin will clearly be the threat for the Proteas during the Test series.

Virat Kohli

Aggression and Kohli go hand-in-hand. Kohli, who has been known for demolishing the best bowling line-ups and seems to be improving with each day, will look to lead from the front anchoring the Indian innings for the first time as skipper on Indian soil. It will interesting to watch how the 26-year-old will tackle the Steyns, the Morkels and the Tahirs, although when on song, Kohli, who has played 37 Tests and in 66 innings has scored 2,794 runs at an average of 45.06 can be dangerous and a winning prospect for his team.

Ravindra Jadeja

The man from Saurashtra, Ravindra Jadeja’s terrific form during the ongoing Ranji season earned him a call-up back to the Test side after 14 months. On rank turners, the left-arm tweaker has the reputation of making life difficult for batsmen and going by his current form, he could emerge as a serious threat to the Proteas. His ability to contribute useful runs lower down the order will also give depth to the Indian batting line-up.

(Photos: AP)

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