ABOUT THE MATCH
Team India dominated the Windies in all three formats, but the highlight of their tour was the Test series where Virat Kohli and his band hardly faced any resistance from the hosts. However, South Africa is a better side and despite having fresh faces in their squad the Proteas still can’t be taken lightly. The build-up to the India vs South Africa test series has been quieter than normal this time around. There are no outlandish statements being made by the teams, the pitches are not in focus, and no major inter-player rivalries to talk about.
We are certain that the attitudes of both the teams are going to change once the cricket starts.
India is in search of a record 11th consecutive series win at home while South Africa is searching for redemption after a horrific World Cup campaign. Beating India in India is considered by most cricket pundits as the most difficult task in world cricket. South Africa, of an earlier generation, has been the most successful side to tour India.
India vs South Africa 1st Test Match is going to be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam starting on the 2nd of October 2019.
TOSS PREDICTION
The team that wins the toss is going to want to bat first. The pitch is expected to break up as the match progresses and so batting first could be a big advantage.
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
The weather in Vishakhapatnam has been wet and a lot of rain has been forecast for the duration of the test match. We are going to see a lot of delays and overs lost which could make getting a result difficult.
The pitch seems to be pretty even and a typical Indian surface. It should be good to bat on first the first three days and then take spin later.
Top Order Analysis:
Middle Order Analysis:
Top Order and Middle Order Analysis:
Top bowlers Analysis:
MATCH PREVIEW
INDIA
- India has announced its playing eleven well before the start of the match and there is one big change that has been made. Rishabh Pant has been left out in place of Wriddhiman Saha. There are reasons why this change could have been made.
- India is also experimenting with Rohit Sharma as the opening batsman alongside Mayank Aggarwal. This is the best time for Rohit Sharma to cement his place in the test side and quite possibly also the last series.
- Wriddhiman Saha bats at 7 followed by the very capable Ashwin and Jadeja. India can afford to play this kind of lineup while playing at home. Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami are the two fast bowlers for the first test.
- India’s batting is very strong, and the two spinners are going to be difficult to face. Mohammad Shami is brilliant in conditions that reverse-swing a little while Ishant Sharma is going to be a handful with the new ball.
- The world’s best test side with success around the world is going to be relish playing in home conditions.
| Top 3 batsman India | Top 3 Middle Order India | Top 3 Bowler India |
| Rohit Sharma | Virat Kohli | Ravichandran Ashwin |
| Mayank Agarwal | Ajinkya Rahane | Ishant Sharma |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | Hanuma Vihari | Mohammed Shami |
SOUTH AFRICA
- The South African sides of the past which have had a lot of success in India have attributed that too batting for long periods and having the best fast-bowling attack at your disposal. It is hard to see the South Africans be able to achieve anyone out of those two objectives in this series.
- The batting is going to depend on the performances of Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, and Quinton de Kock. Elgar can bat a long time but he has had his troubles against Ashwin, Markram is still evolving into the batsman he can be, and Quinton de Kock is also not too trustworthy.
- Faf du Plessis is then the best bet for a South African batting bulwark in this series.
- Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are expected to shoulder the burden of fast bowling duties. We are struggling to see any situation where this bowling attack is going to be able to put the Indian batting under too much pressure.
- We think long days in the field chasing leather lie ahead of the South African bowling unit.
| Top 3 batsman South Africa | Top 3 Middle Order South Africa | Top 3 Bowler South Africa |
| Dean Elgar | Temba Bavuma | Keshav Maharaj |
| Aiden Markram | Faf du Plessis | Kagiso Rabada |
| Zubayr Hamza | Quinton de Kock | Lungi Ngidi |
PROBABLE WINNING TEAM:
It will be battle for supremacy here. India has plenty of talent in their squad, and India’s insanely strong batting line-up gives them the edge here and South Africa’s recovery from world cup has to be proven in these test series.
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