India and the world Test champions, South Africa, are set to lock horns in a high-octane two-match Test series starting on November 14th at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
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As the two sides collide, the Proteas would look to win their first Test series in India after 26-long years, while the Men In Blue would look to continue their unbeaten streak and register yet another series victory at home.
In this article, we take a look at the predicted lineups of both sides ahead of the first Test in Kolkata.
What would be India and South Africa's playing XI for the Kolkata Test?
Team India is expected to go ahead with an additional batter for the home series against South Africa. The wicket-keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who is enjoying the form of his life, was confirmed to play by the Indian assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate.
Jurel scored a century in the 1st home Test against the West Indies last month and continued his good run, scoring hundreds in both innings of the unofficial Test against South Africa A.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, the Indian all-rounder, has been released from the squad, and Jurel is expected to replace him in the side as an additional batter.
For South Africa, their skipper, Temba Bavuma, will be back in action after a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the Pakistan series.
Bavuma last featured in the World Test Championship Final against Australia, where he led the South African side to their first-ever ICC Title after the triumph at the ICC Knockout Trophy back in 1998.
Let's take a look at the predicted XI for India and South Africa for the first Test in Kolkata:
Predicted XIs:
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.
South Africa XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Dewald Brevis, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Simon Harmer.
When is the first Test between India and South Africa?
The first Test between India and South Africa will be played from Saturday, November 14th and will run through Tuesday, November 18th.
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