Boxing Day battle: Kohli-led India faces host South Africa in Test series opener

Skipper Virat Kohli will battle on multiple fronts with an aim to get the tricky team combination right as India has a real shot at winning its first-ever away series against South Africa, which starts with the Boxing Day Test.

Kohli will have some tough selection calls to make ahead of the series opener at the SuperSport Park here. An untested rookie in Shreyas Iyer, a proven but out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane and overseas Test specialist Hanuma Vihari are in contention for the No.5 slot.

All-rounder Shardul Thakur and veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma are expected to battle it out for the fourth pacer’s spot, with the former likely to pip the latter. Since its historic first visit in 1992, South African tours have been India team’s Achilles Heel, so a charged-up Kohli would be keen to achieve a first in the ‘Rainbow Nation’.

South Africa, which is no longer the team it once was, has been going through a rough transition phase over the past few years. Keeping that in mind without underestimating the host, India would hope to pounce on a jittery Proteas side from the get-go.

From the first day of the three-match series that is set to be hosted behind closed doors, Kohli is expected to be the centre of attraction. First and foremost, Kohli, the captain, would be eager to reassert his supremacy with a victory against a team which has only two players with 50-plus games under their belt – skipper Dean Elgar (69) and Temba Bavuma (53).

Secondly, Kohli, the best batter of the team, has not scored a Test ton since 2019 and has an average of less than 30 in the last two years. His new deputy KL Rahul would have set his sights on another successful overseas assignment while No.3 Cheteshwar Pujara will need runs under his belt to ease the pressure. Opening batter Mayank Agarwal will be hungry to make the best use of the opportunity that has been presented to him in the absence of an injured Rohit Sharma.

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant could be a hit or miss against a South Africa bowling attack spearheaded by pacer Kagiso Rabada. The home team will dearly miss the services of speed gun Anrich Nortje, who has been ruled out of the series with a persistent injury. A lot would rest on Elgar, Quinton de Kock and Bavuma in the batting department.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will lead the India bowling unit, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin likely to be the only slow bowler in the eleven.