Kohli-led India look to bury the ghost of serial defeats against SA
Expectations are bound to weigh heavily on Virat Kohli as he walks out for toss at Mohali on Thursday, for the first Test of the four-match series against top-ranked South Africa. The T20 and ODI series’ defeats handed to India by the visitors will become a thing of the past when Kohli, India’s best batsman, leads in his first home Test series as captain.
For starters, Kohli turns 27 on Thursday, and it will be India’s first home Test series since batting great Sachin Tendulkar retired after his 200th Test, against the West Indies, at the Wankhede Stadium in November 2013. And, by the way, South Africa have not lost an away Test series since 2006.
Kohli was stand-in skipper to Dhoni in the opening Test in Australia last December, and effectively took over captain in the fourth and final Test in Sydney in January after Dhoni announced his Test retirement. His first outing after being nominated captain was the drawn one-off Test in Bangladesh in June, and the feisty skipper followed it up with India’s first Test series victory on Sri Lankan soil in 23 years, in August.
Kohli will be without pace spearhead Ishant Sharma, who will be serving out a one-match ban slapped on him by the International Cricket Council for his outbursts during the third and final Test against Sri Lanka. India, expectedly, will go in with a spin-centric attack for the opening Test.
Ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has recovered fully from the side strain he sustained in the first One-Dayer that saw him sit out of the remainder of the five-match ODI series. The Tamil Nadu bowler was India’s highest wicket-taker in the Sri Lanka Test series with 20 wickets, and will lead a three-man spin attack comprising of leg-spinner Amit Mishra and recalled left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.
Kohli has been in form with the willow in the preceding ODIs, along with Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, but Cheteshwar Pujara, the Test specialists in the squad, returns to the international stage after a two-month break.
For the visitors, AB deVilliers has been knocking the Indian bowlers around at will, while Faf du Plessis is also in top form. Although Test captain Hashim Amla failed to get among runs in the shorter format, the tall and elegant batsman is just one innings away from another big knock.
JP Duminy will miss the first Test owing to the hand injury sustained in the third ODI, but South Africa possess an able replacement in Temba Bavuma. Pace-strong South African will be spearheaded by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, with a spin ally in in-form Imran Tahir.
The five-day match will commence at 09.30 IST tomorrow.
Squads -
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Lokesh Rahul, Stuart Binny, Varun AaronÂ
South Africa: Hashim Amla (captain), AB de Villiers (vice-captain), Temba Bavuma, Jean-Paul Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas (wk).
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