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

SA won the toss and opted to bat [Source: @BCCI/X]

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

"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. 

More to follow....