India tour of South Africa, SA vs IND – Test 1
December 26-December 30, 2023
10:00 am local time
SuperSport Park, Centurion

India tour of South Africa 2023/24, SA vs IND 1st Test: Live score

Click here to check live score from the 1st South Africa vs India Test match in Centurion.

South Africa vs India, World Test Championship 2023/25: Toss and live updates

South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first

Catch the latest weather updates from Centurion here.

India tour of South Africa 2023/24, SA vs IND 1st Test: Team news

For India, Rohit Sharma will return to lead the side for the first time since the gruelling World Cup final defeat besides several senior members like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin, among others. KS Bharat has replaced Ishan Kishan, who has withdrawn from the series due to personal reasons, while Mohammed Shami has been ruled out due to an ankle injury. Abhimanyu Easwaran, meanwhile, has replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been ruled out due to a finger injury.

While Prasidh Krishna makes his Test debut on the back of his 5-43 for India A in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A, Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the match due to neck spasm, making way for Ravichandran Ashwin in the playing XI.

Temba Bavuma will lead the Test side for South Africa after being rested for the white-ball games. Left-arm pacer Nadre Burger has earned his maiden Test call-up besides David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs. At the same time, wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynee has made a comeback. Veteran Dean Elgar has announced his retirement and this series will be his last.

Frontline pacers Kagiso Rabada, recovering from a heel issue and Lungi Ngidi, nursing an ankle injury, were out of action from the white-ball clashes. The duo bowled at full intensity in the nets ahead of the Test match and is almost certain to play the Boxing Day Test. Ngidi is set to miss the Test, confirmed Shaun Pollock. South Africa have handed batter David Bedingham and Nandre Burger their first Test caps. The hosts have opted for a four-pronged pace-attack, leaving spinner Keshav Maharaj out.

Current WTC standings

India – 1st, 2 matches, 1 win, 0 losses, 1 draw, 66.67 PCT
South Africa – NA

South Africa vs India 1st Test: Starting-XIs

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreyne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Match prediction: Who will win the 1st South Africa vs India Test?

The lively South African conditions hang the match in the balance. Both teams have several youngsters in their setup but India have more experience overall. However, their Test record in South Africa isn’t great and with the ideal kind of bowlers to exploit the home conditions, South Africa will fancy their chances more.