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Kagiso Rabada ruled out; Gill brings Axar for Sudharsan as SA opt to bat in Kolkata Test vs IND

Debashis Sarangi

SA won the toss and opted to bat [Source: AFP]SA won the toss and opted to bat [Source: AFP]

In a significant development, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first in the Test series opener against  at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Proteas captain Temba Bavuma stated that his side would bat first in order to capitalise on the playing conditions at the iconic Indian venue. Ace South African speedster Kagiso Rabada misses out due to a rib injury, while India have taken a bold call, bringing in Axar Patel for B Sai Sudharsan. 

IND vs SA 1st Test: Playing XIs

South Africa Playing XI : Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj

India Playing XI : KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

IND vs SA: Captains' thoughts

After winning the toss, Temba Bavuma reckoned that the visitors would like to capitalise on their victorious momentum and force an upset against India's formidable outfit. 

On the other hand, Indian skipper Shubman Gill seemed hopeful of the spinners' success, expecting them to make the most of the conditions in Kolkata. 

"We are going to bat, Ravi. Yeah, definitely. We need to just carry the momentum we have from Pakistan. I was with the A team here in India, just getting my loads up. We have done as much as we could with the preparation. 2 openers - Aiden Markram and Rickelton. Mulder at 3. Myself and Verreynne. Unfortunately, Kagiso Rabada misses out," Temba Bavuma said. 

"Looks like a good surface. Historically, we have seen there is a bit in it initially for the pacers, hopefully, we will be able to extract that. The dressing room is pretty amazing. This Test bunch is very hungry. We want to perform every time. We are as hungry as ever. Looks like a good surface, will stay good for the first day or two. Hopefully, we will get some turn as the game goes on. Rishabh comes back in place of Reddy since we last played. Axar is also back in the side," Shubman Gill was quoted as saying by CREX. 

Apart from Kagiso Rabada and B Sai Sudharsan, Dewald Brevis is another prominent name to miss out on selection for the sake of team combination. South Africa have emphasised batting depth, picking all-rounders like Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch and Marco Jansen, while Markram, Rickelton, Verrynne, Bavuma, De Zorzi and Stubbs have been picked as their specialist batters.