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India batters target Proteas bowlers in search of Test-match glory

India batters target Proteas bowlers in search of Test-match glory
David Bedingham is in line for a Test debut against India in the first Test at Centurion on Boxing Day. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
Craig Ray
By Craig Ray
25 Dec 2023
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India are primed to scale the final Test-match hurdle they have yet to overcome – a series win against the Proteas in South Africa – starting at Centurion on Boxing Day.

Since 1992, when South Africa was readmitted to Test cricket, India have undertaken eight previous Test tours to this country and never won a series.

It’s a quite staggering statistic considering that some of the greatest Indian sides with some of the best players ever to wear whites, have tried and failed in the Republic. 

They managed to draw the 2010/11 three-Test series 1-1 with a side that included the great Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh.

In 2021/22 India faced a callow Proteas squad with a brittle batting unit and still fell short, losing the series 2-1 after a convincing 113-run first Test victory. No South African batter scored a century in that series.

But that trio have never played Test cricket in South Africa. How will they cope with the bounce and pace of Centurion, delivered by a hungry pack of quicks? 

India have won just four of 23 Tests in South Africa, so the portents on paper at least, are not good. But this India team has set the bar high across all formats of the game in the past five years, and will be highly motivated to achieve the one major omission from their excellent body of work. 

The encouraging news for India is that they won the series opener at Centurion the last time they were there, which is the venue for this year’s first of two Tests.

Proteas Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will be a key figure in the brief two-match series against India. The first Test starts at Centurion on 26 December 2023. (Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images)


India has identified issues


Coach Rahul Dravid believes they have identified the issues that led to that defeat two years ago.

“For us, the big challenge is if we can really put some runs on the board and score those critical, extra 60-70 runs that gives you a great chance,” Dravid told ESPN Cricinfo in the build-up to the first Test. 

“If I go back to the last series that I was here, the one thing we did here [in the first Test] really well was we had a really good first innings. We had a really good first day and got to 327 in the first innings. If you can put up those kinds of scores on challenging wickets, you put yourself ahead in a Test match.

“But in the next two Test matches, I just felt in our third innings, we could not score those 50, 60 extra runs. You know, we just felt short and they bowled well.” 

Batters versus bowlers


Once again, the series appears to be about India’s batters versus South Africa’s pace bowling attack. 

Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi are fit and raring to go for the Proteas while Marco Jansen and possibly Gerald Coetzee will complete a formidable pace quartet for the home side.

Standing in their way will be the menacing and experienced duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal,  Shubman Gill and Shreyes Iyer. But that trio have never played Test cricket in South Africa. How will they cope with the bounce and pace of Centurion, delivered by a hungry pack of quicks?

“We encourage the players to play the way they feel most comfortable in,” Dravid said. “In the end, you are judged by the results you produce. 

“The guys know that, they understand that. We want to encourage them to play in the way that they play, but also keeping in view the conditions and keeping certain sort of tactical things that you have to be aware of when you play in South Africa. 

“The nature of the ball and how that behaves over the course of 80 overs, and the kind of shots you can play may be in the early part of innings vis-a-vis what you might be able to do later on.”

Rabada and Ngidi have not played since the World Cup semi-final defeat to Australia six weeks ago, but Proteas red ball coach Shukri Conrad was not outwardly perturbed about their lack of recent game time.

David Bedingham is in line for a Test debut against India in the first Test at Centurion on Boxing Day. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)


No concern about being ‘undercooked’


“That’s life, I’m not in the least bit concerned they will be undercooked. Both KG and Lungi are in the squad and up for selection,” said Conrad without outward signs of concern.

“If it was possible to make this even bigger, the fact that India have never won here does that. We certainly want to hold onto that proud record. 

“There are so many matchups that this series hinges on. It’s two Tests, so it’s high pressure. You go 1-0 down and you can’t win the series. You go 1-0 up, you can’t lose. It's going to be like a heavyweight boxing bout.” 

Opener Dean Elgar will play his last series for South Africa after 84 Tests, while Keegan Petersen, who was player of the series against India in 2021, is in a battle with the uncapped David Bedingham for the No 5 berth.

Elgar and Aiden Markram are set to open with Tony de Zorzi, fresh off scoring 228 runs in the three-match One-Day International series against India, at No 3. 

Captain Temba Bavuma will bat at No 4 and Kyle Verreynne is back as keeper/batter at No 6 with Jansen occupying the all-rounder role at No 7. Keshav Maharaj, Coetzee, Rabada and Ngidi should complete the starting XI. 

India will be without dangerous seamer Mohammed Shami, who failed to recover from an ankle injury, while Kohli is back with the squad after a brief return to India to attend to a personal matter. 

The weather forecast predicts sporadic rain for the first two days, which suggests conditions to favour the seam bowlers. DM

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