What If Virat Kohli Misses 1st Test Vs SA? Here's India's Probable Playing XI For Centurion Clash

Virat Kohli left for India four days ago [X.com]

Veteran batter Virat Kohli has returned to his home in India amidst the Men in Blue's ongoing South Africa tour. Although several reports claim that Kohli will rejoin the side soon, his availability for the first Test match in Centurion still remains a big question. In addition, India will miss Ruturaj Gaikwad, with the batter being ruled out of the series due to a finger injury. Bengal's top-order batter, Abhimanyu Easwaran, has replaced him in the Test squad. 

So, with India battling with players' availability and injury concerns, let's see what could be their playing XI if Kohli misses out on the first Test. 

What If Virat Kohli Misses 1st Test Vs SA?

Virat Kohli has an outstanding Test record on South African soil, amassing 719 runs, including two hundreds, at a brilliant average of 51.36. Considering his experience and recent form, Kohli was supposed to be India's trump card with the bat in South Africa Tests. However, the 35-year-old has returned home due to a family emergency. If he doesn't come back in time, we reckon India might use in-form batter KL Rahul at number four. 

Therefore, Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the batting alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, with Shubman Gill and Rahul slotted at three and four, respectively. Gritty Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer will come at number five, with KS Bharat and Ravindra Jadeja following him. 

As the pitch in Centurion generally doesn't assist the spinners, we think India will field four seamers- Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj. 

India's probable playing XI for 1st Test (if Virat Kohli misses out)

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (WK), Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

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