Rabada Out of 1st Test; Axar, Pant Back as India Opt for Four-Spin Attack

Shubman Gill’s indifferent luck at the toss continued as he lost for the seventh time in eight attempts, but it was South Africa who suffered the bigger pre-match setback before.

The first Test at Eden Gardens. A rib injury ruled out their premier fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, forcing a late reshuffle. Temba Bavuma, however, had no hesitation in opting to bat first on what both captains expected would be a solid surface for the first two days.

Despite touring India, South Africa resisted the urge to field an additional spinner. They stuck to a three-seamer strategy, with all three quicks offering depth with the bat. Senuran Muthusamy missed out, Wiaan Mulder returned at number three, Corbin Bosch replaced Rabada, and Bavuma returned in place of Dewald Brevis.

India’s selection pointed to a shift in their Test approach. Washington Sundar, long backed for his batting, was elevated to number three after the management opted to keep their full bowling arsenal intact. Regular No. 3 B Sai Sudharsan sat out. India retained Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, while Axar Patel’s return completed a four-pronged spin combination alongside Jadeja, Sundar and Kuldeep—an attack they believe can increasingly control the game as the pitch wears.

Rishabh Pant, fit again after an injury in England in July, replaced Nitish Kumar Reddy. Dhruv Jurel kept his place at No. 6 after a prolific run capped by twin centuries for India A against South Africa A.

South Africa’s toss win was their first in India after seven failed attempts. Gill joked that his next success might only come at the World Test Championship final. India begin the series third on the WTC table with 61.9% points, while South Africa sit fifth with 50%.

With only two frontline quicks, Bumrah and Siraj will shoulder the bulk of the pace workload, with India banking on their spin-heavy attack to do most of the work as the pitch deteriorates.

South Africa Playing XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (w), Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj

India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj