India are without their full-time skipper Shubman Gill, as they trail the series 0-1
India are without Shubman Gill for the Guwahati Test, but their fortunes with the toss didn’t change as South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first.
South Africa lead the series 1-0, and Bavuma’s team will yet again get the best of batting conditions here in the second encounter. Senuran Muthusamy is the only change for the Proteas, replacing the all-rounder Corbin Bosch.
However, all eyes were on India on how they decided to fill the Gill-void, as the hosts made two crucial changes to their setup. In a bid to keep the left-right combination intact, the management have dropped Axar Patel to accommodate Nitish Kumar Reddy with Sai Sudharsan replacing Gill at that No.4 spot.
It is yet to be seen if Sudharsan will bat at No.4 or at the No.3 role that he has done in the past. Pant will become the second wicketkeeper in the country’s history to lead the team in Tests, after the legendary MS Dhoni.
Here’s what the two captains had to say about the surface:
Rishabh Pant: “Definitely a proud moment (to lead the team). I hadn’t thought about it, butI want to grab the opportunity with both hands. We feel the wicket is good for batting but at the same time, bowling first is not a bad option either. Shubman is getting well slowly, slowly. He was very eager to play the match but his body didn’t allow it. But he’ll come back strong
Temba Bavuma: “We have to start afresh. Wicket looks a lot better. We’ll try to get a good score first up and play the game from there. No cracks really, pitch looks consistent. Happy to be part of this historic moment, the first Test here. One change. Muthusamy comes in and Bosch misses out.”
Playing XIs of South Africa, India for the Guwahati Test
South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma(c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
