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The upcoming 2-match Test series between South Africa and India, commencing on Boxing Day, December 26, is set to be a high-profile clash. South Africa is preparing to face an almost fully equipped Indian squad, freshly reinforced with key players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah, who are returning to the team following their last appearance in the ODI World Cup Final.
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However, India's lineup will be without their premier fast bowler Mohammed Shami. Shami's absence, due to an ankle injury that did not heal in time, is a setback for the team. The Board of Control for Cricket in India's medical board has not cleared him for play. His absence is considered significant, especially in the challenging South African conditions, as pointed out by former Indian cricketers.
Contrastingly, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma expressed a different viewpoint in the pre-match press conference. He acknowledged India's impressive squad depth, noting that Shami's replacement also possesses considerable talent, thereby maintaining the team's strong competitive edge.
"As cricketers you want to come up against the best and Mohammed Shami is one of the best going around and most of us would be looking forward to coming up against him. But India being India, and with the depth that they have, you have to trust that whoever comes in will also put you under pressure," Bavuma told reporters.
Bavuma also emphasised the advantage of playing on home turf, particularly with the possibility of rain affecting play on the first day of the Test. He believes the South African team is better equipped to adapt to these conditions compared to the Indian side.
"Being home conditions, we understand the advantage our side has, you will expect us to adapt a lot better, and Indian bowling attack is quite a strong one and obviously Shami is not there but it's still a strong one. The fact that they have been able to achieve so much success in Tests over the past 5-10 years period is because of that bowling attack," said Bavuma.
India had to implement two last-minute changes to their squad. KS Bharat and Abhimanyu Easwaran were called up following the withdrawals of Ishan Kishan, due to personal reasons, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who returned to India for the recovery of a finger injury. This reshuffle in the team composition adds an additional layer of intrigue to the upcoming series, setting the stage for a compelling cricketing contest.
India Test Squad vs SA: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk).
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