Overview:
The Eden Gardens Stadium has hosted 42 matches. India own 13 wins alongside 9 defeats and 20 draws. Against SA, they are 2-1 here.
The Indian men’s cricket team is set to take on South Africa in the 1st Test at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. The 1st clash of the two-Test series will start from November 14 onwards.
India play their 1st Test at Eden Gardens since 2019 when they thumped Bangladesh in a Day/Night Test. All eyes will be on India’s journey in the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle, They drew 2-2 against England away and beat West Indies 2-0 at home. This is their 3rd series. India are third in the WTC standings.
South Africa come into this series on the back of a 1-1 draw against Pakistan away. This is their 2nd series of the ongoing WTC campaign. Notably, they are the defending champions, having won the WTC 2023-25 edition.
What is the Context of the IND vs SA match?
India let Nitish Kumar Reddy leave in order to make him play in the India A vs South Africa A ODIs. The management also confirmed that Dhruv Jurel will play the 1st Test. He has been in fine form. So a three-man spin attack alongside 2 pacers will be the way forward for India in this Test.
For South Africa, Temba Bavuma is back to lead his side. He recently featured in the 2nd IND-A vs SA-A unofficial Test, leading his side to a victory. SA will aim to strike the right balance against India. They have a strong unit at their disposal.
In terms of the H2H record, India and South Africa have faced each other 44 times. India have won 16 games against SA, who have pocketed 18 wins. 10 matches have been drawn.
The Eden Gardens Stadium has hosted 42 matches. India own 13 wins alongside 9 defeats and 20 draws. Against SA, they are 2-1 here.
The 1st Test between India and SA will start at 9:30 am IST on November 14 in Kolkata.
India – Probable Playing XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal: The southpaw enjoyed a decent England tour, starting and ending with hundreds. Thereafter, Jaiswal featured in the Duleep Trophy, scoring 4 and 64 for West Zone. In the 2-Test series against West Indies, he managed 36, 175 and 8. He appeared for one Ranji Trophy match, scoring 67 and 156 for Mumbai.
KL Rahul: The senior Indian batsman had a strong showing in England and then also versus the West Indies. He played in the 2nd unofficial Test versus SA-A recently and bagged runs worth 19 and 27. Overall, Rahul is nearing 4000 Test runs (3985).
Sai Sudharsan: The 24-year-old has featured in 5 Tests for India, scoring 273 runs at 30.33. He featured for India A against SA-A recently and scored 32, 12, 17 and 23.
Shubman Gill: The Indian captain had a dream England tour and was the top scorer. He also fared well against the West Indies. Gill was also part of India’s ODI and T20I assignments in Australia and the Asia Cup.
Rishabh Pant (wk): The star cricketer is set for a return to competitive cricket in internationals since fracturing his foot in the 4th Test against England. He captained India A recently against SA-A.
Dhruv Jurel: The talented Jurel is set to feature for India after his strong show in the unofficial Tests versus SA-A. Before that, he did well against West Indies in Pant’s absence.
Ravindra Jadeja: A fierce player, Jadeja is a world class all-rounder He can be a game-changer for India. He was instrumental for India in England and did well next against the West Indies.
Washington Sundar: The all-rounder has nailed his spot in India’s Test side. He did well in England. He was part of the West Indies Tests and then featured versus Australia in the white-ball tour.
Kuldeep Yadav: The spinner will be keen to showcase his mettle. He was sent back from Australia midway through the T20Is to take part in the 2nd India A vs SA-A clash. However, he didn’t impress with the ball, picking a lone wicket across 2 innings.
Mohammed Siraj: The pacer was influential both against England and West Indies. He was recently seen playing for India A against SA-A. In between, he played three ODIs against Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah: The experienced pacer will lead India from the front and showcase his mettle. He was recently seen in the T20I series against Australia. He played against West Indies and England before that.
Player to watch out for (Rishabh Pant): The swashbuckling batter was seen practising at full tilt at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. Returning from injury, he will be keen to come good.
South Africa – Probable Playing XI
Aiden Markram : The star Proteas batter owns over 3000 runs in Tests. He helped SA win the World Test Championship title by scoring a hundred against Australia.
Ryan Rickelton : He is set to keep his place. Rickelton hit 71, 45, 14 and 25* in the two-Test series against Pakistan. He averages close to 40 in Tests, scoring 793 runs from 13 matches.
Temba Bavuma (c): He is a solid customer. He returned from injury in the India A vs SA-A contest. He scored 0 and 59. With over 3700 Test runs, Bavuma brings experience and fine leadership.
Tony de Zorzi: He is a promising figure. De Zorzi did well against Pakistan in Tests, hitting two fifty-plus scores. He owns over 800 runs in Tests.
Tristan Stubbs: He has a point to prove and this series is crucial. He scored one fifty and posted three low scores in the 2-Test series against Pakistan. He averages over 28 in Tests.
Kyle Verreynne (wk): He will be a key figure in that middle order. He owns 1196 runs in Tests from 29 matches (45 innings). He struggled against Pakistan with 2, 19 and 0 across three innings.
Simon Harmer: Recently, Harmer got to 1000 wickets in FC cricket at 26.34. The right-arm spinner owns 52 Test wickets for SA. He claimed 13 wickets against Pakistan and remains a threat.
Keshav Maharaj: He will lead SA’s spin unit. The left-arm spinner has 212 wickets in Tests and over 640 wickets in FC cricket. He owns 54 wickets in Asia.
Senuran Muthusamy: He is likely to feature as the 3rd spinner. He owns 22 scalps from 7 Tests. In FC cricket, he owns 277 wickets.
Marco Jansen: The left-arm pacer can be productive. With 77 Test scalps at 22.84, he is a threat. However, he struggled against Pakistan, going wicketless across three innings.
Kagiso Rabada: From 73 matches, he owns 340 Test wickets at 22.03. He picked 4 wickets in the series against Pakistan.
Player to watch out for (Simon Harmer): He shone on the decks in Pakistan and can use that confidence to hurt India.
Pitch Report & Venue Conditions
The wicket is laid on black-soil and with trimmed grass it’s likely to assist the older ball and aid reverse swing. Early bounce for pacers will be expected. However, the surface is expected to slow down as the match progresses, perhaps favouring spinners from Day 2 or Day 3 onwards. The curator has said it’s a sporting wicket which will aid batters, pacers and spinners alike. So a balanced surface is expected. Notably, India didn’t ask for a rank turner after the move backfired in a 3-0 demolition by New Zealand in 2024.
Match Prediction – Who Has the Upper Hand?
All things considered, Kolkata is likely to offer a good balanced wicket with spinners coming into the fray as the ball gets older. India will start as favourites. They would be tempted to go in with three spinners and two pacers. South Africa will also be going in with 5 bowling options. They could field three spin options as mentioned above.
FAQs About IND vs SA Playing 11
Who are the key players in the IND vs SA clash?
For India, Rishabh Pant can be instrumental with his ability to score vital runs. He returns from injury. For SA, Harmer can be lethal. He was in good touch with the ball in his hand against Pakistan.