An important game in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 cycle, the two-match Test series between India and South Africa is about to get underway. Starting on Tuesday, December 26, the first test will take place at Centurion’s SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium. Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir has revealed his India playing XI ahead of the first Test.
Gambhir has endorsed Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opening pair. While Jaiswal will be playing in South Africa for the first time, the India skipper was very outstanding in the first Test match. The experienced Cheteshwar Pujara previously held the crucial No. 3 position, which Shubman Gill is now occupying. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, the former captain of India, will take over at number four, where he usually sits.
KL Rahul, a wicketkeeper-batter, at No. 6, and Shreyas Iyer at No. 5 are Gautam Gambhir options for the middle order. The former cricket player said he wasn’t sure between Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin and decided to go with a lone spinner. He assigned Shardul Thakur the responsibility of becoming the seam-bowling all-round player. He believes that Prasidh Krishna, who will be spearheading the speed assault alongside Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, will make his debut.
India hopes to make history by becoming the first team to win a series in every Southeast Asian nation at least once, and it will aim to do so by winning the Test series in South Africa. Team India is well-positioned to achieve a historic triumph in South Africa thanks to a potent combination of young and talented batsmen and fast bowlers, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
For the first Test, this is Gautam Gambhir’s India 11:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja/R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Rohit Sharma (c).
India
