India vs South Africa 2021-22, Boxing Day Test: Virat Kohli opts to bat, moves in with six batters
India and South Africa play the Boxing Day Test in Centurion on Sunday. Indian skipper Virat Kohli has won the toss and opted to bowl. He is moving in with six batters.
FollowOn Sunday, India is locking horns against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test of the Freedom Trophy 2021-22 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Indian skipper Virat Kohli has won the toss and opted to bat, while the conditions are somewhat overcast. He has moved in with six batters.
During the toss, Kohli stated that it has been the team's strength to put runs on the board while playing away from home. Also, he recalled that the track in Centurion tends to get fast from the second day. He also remembered that India's domination in the format recently started from this venue, where it had last played.
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While Kohli termed playing in South Africa a challenge, he applauded that the Proteas unit has been a strong one, a formidable side while playing at home. He asserted that the preparations for this series have been adequate, having got to practice in the centre wicket. "Siraj, Shami, Bumrah, Ashwin and Thakur is the all-rounder," he added.
On the other hand, South African skipper Dean Elgar remarked, "Nice and relaxed and looking forward to what is going to be a brilliant Test series. We had a good week's camp in Johannesburg. We are prepared as best as we can. There's a debutant in Marco Jansen, a tall left-arm bowler who bowled well against India A. Mulder as an all-rounder. Kesh is our spinner. KG [Rabada], Lungi and Marco are the pacers."
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Playing XI
IND: KL Rahul (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
SA: Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.
