As Team India gets ready to take on South Africa at home, there would be some interesting one-on-one contests that would provide some entertaining stuff to the cricket crazy fans. Whenever these two sides have faced each other, there have been some captivating contests that have had a lasting impression on the minds of every cricket fan. Whether both teams have played in South Africa or India, there have been some fascinating moments that have filled the cricket fans with joy.
South Africa has had the reputation of producing world-class fast bowlers who have showcased their bowling skills that were a mix of electric pace, swing and variety. When it comes to the Indian fast bowlers, Indian pacers largely emphasized length and seam movements during the 1980s and 1990s but during the 21st century, Indian pacers worked on their pace and swing. In this piece, we discuss the contest between the fast bowlers from both teams in the upcoming series. It will be an intriguing contest between the South African bowlers’ pace and swing against the Indian bowlers, who are penetrative with their pace and seam movement. India is currently in 3rd position in the 2025-27 World Test Championship points table, while the Proteas are in 5th position. The role of the pacers from both teams becomes crucial in this test series. Even the ODI series, as well as the T20I series that will be played after the test series, will be an interesting contest between the pacers from both sides. We take a look at the battle of the fast bowlers between both teams in the upcoming series in detail:
1) Jasprit Bumrah vs Kagiso Rabada
Bumrah will be the core of the Indian pace attack as the 31-year-old has looked brutal with his pace, bounce, and swing. His biggest strength is his ability to change his pace according to the playing conditions, making him a big threat, and in the upcoming series against South Africa at home, Bumrah will surely be India’s go-to man in the fast bowling line-up to do the job for team India during pressure situations. Bumrah has claimed 226 wickets in 50 tests he has played so far and it is his incredible ability to take crucial wickets that makes him special. The speedster is penetrative with the old ball as well as the new ball as he can move the ball both ways.
On the other hand, Rabada will be crucial for the Proteas as the 30-year-old pacer can surprise with his seam movement, combined with his ability to bowl in the right areas and his ability to go through the defences of a well-set batter with his pace. Rabada has claimed 340 wickets in 73 tests, and his role will be crucial in the upcoming series. The pacer has shown tremendous consistency with his wicket-taking abilities in testing playing conditions
2) Mohammed Siraj vs Lungi Ngidi
Siraj has looked in fine form for the last couple of years for Team India in white ball as well red-ball formats. The 31-year-old pacer’s late seam movement off the wicket has troubled the best batters, and the South African batters might face a challenge against him on Indian wickets. Siraj has worked on his speed, and his ability to hit the deck hard has caused problems for the best batting lineups. In 8 test matches this year, the pacer has claimed 37 wickets, as overall he has claimed 133 wickets in 43 tests and 73 wickets in 47 ODIs.
Lungi Ngidi has been amongst the brightest of talents in the South African cricketing circuit as the 29-year-old has the ability to surprise the batters with his pace, Yorkers and bouncers. His slower bouncers on fast wickets have troubled the best batting outfits.
Ngidi’s role will be crucial with the old ball as the pacer can outsmart the batters with his leg cutters. Ngidi has claimed 58 wickets in 20 tests and 114 wickets in 73 ODIs. He has claimed 71 wickets in 52 T20Is.
3) Akash Deep vs Marco Jansen
Akash Deep is a promising talent in Indian cricket, as the 28-year-old has showcased skills with the new ball in the longer format. The 29-year-old can swing the ball both ways, and his ability to maintain the seam position enables him to land the ball at the good length area. Akash Deep has so far claimed 28 wickets in 10 tests with best bowling figures of 6/99. The pacer will be the one to watch out for in the home series against South Africa.
When we talk about Marco Jansen, the left-arm pacer can bowl at a decent pace with uneven bounce that can tuck the batters for room. The 25-year-old can be a match-winner with his deceptive length and cleverness in swingers. Jansen can outfox the batters with slower ones during run of play. Jansen has claimed 77 wickets in 19 tests so far, with best bowling figures of 7/13 and 45 wickets in 29 ODIs. The tall lanky pacer has claimed 18 wickets in 19 T20Is with best bowling figures of 3/16.
4) Arshdeep Singh vs Anrich Nortje
Arshdeep Singh has been amongst the brightest left-arm pacers in Indian cricket. The 26-year-old can change his length cleverly depending on the nature of a particular wicket and the strengths of the opposition batters. Arshdeep can swing the ball late and can outgun any batting lineup with his pace and bounce. Arshdeep is a penetrative option in white ball format as he can bowl fast, full-length balls, especially during the slog overs. Arshdeep has claimed 17 wickets in 11 T20Is with best figures of 5/37, while he has claimed 105 wickets in 68 T20Is with best figures of 4/9. Arshdeep will be a vital cog during the white ball series for Team India.
Anrich Nortje was out of action due to a back injury, but if he is fit for selection, he could play a significant role for the Proteas in the white-ball format. The right arm pacer can hit the deck hard with his speed. The 25-year-old can cause problems with his pace and clever seam movement. He has this ability to produce wicket-taking deliveries with his seaming length.
Nortje has claimed 70 wickets in 19 tests with best figures of/56, while he has claimed 36 wickets in 22 ODIs with best figures of 4/52. The 31-year-old has claimed 53 wickets in 42 T20Is with best figures of 4/7.