India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in overcast conditions in the first test against South Africa at Centurion Park on Sunday.
Kohli believes that the pitch will quicken up as the game goes on and that putting on a big first innings score will be key for the tourists.
“This is a very challenging place to play cricket. We will have to be at our best.
South Africa sprung a surprise with their line-up, including tall fast bowler Marco Jansen for his debut ahead of the returning Duanne Olivier, who had been expected to play his first test since 2019.
India are hoping to secure a first test series in South Africa with matches to follow in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Teams:
South Africa – Dean Elgar (capt), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
India – KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
