South Africa v India | 3rd Test | Newlands | 11-15 January, 2022 | Pre-game discussion

[MenInG]

Virat Kohli has already been in the nets and "should be fine" for the Test series decider against South Africa, said India's stand-in captain KL Rahul on Thursday. Skipper Kohli was ruled out of the second Test due to upper back spasms. South Africa won the second Test by seven wickets to level the series. "Virat is feeling better already, been in the nets the last couple of days fielding and running around and I think he should be fine," said Rahul at the post-match presentation. Head coach Rahul Dravid too provided an update on Kohli's fitness at the media interaction.

"He is looking good and having knock at nets. Couple of sessions in Cape Town, he will be good to go," said the coach.

Rahul also spoke on Mohammad Siraj's hamstring injury that he suffered during the second Test. Despite the injury, Siraj kept bowling in the match but was far from his best.

"Siraj is starting to feel better each day. A couple of days break might really help him. But we have quality on our bench as well, Ishant and Umesh are waiting.

"Looking forward to Cape Town. We expected every game to be competitive. A loss like this is disappointing but we've always been a team that gets hungrier after a loss. Credit to South Africa for the way they batted," said Rahul.

With South Africa chasing 240 on a tricky surface, India were favourites but the hosts put up a memorable batting performance to record a comfortable win.

Rahul said their below par first innings score of 202 made a lot of difference in the outcome of the game.

"We all felt we could do something special, 122 (on day four) wasn't going to be that easy to get, the pitch was up and down, but like I said, the South African batsmen were really determined and got the job done. If I have to be really harsh, after winning the toss we could have put 60-70 runs more." He also reserved praise for Shardul Thakur, who put an all-round performance in the game including a seven wicket haul in the first innings.

Rahul also lauded senior batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara who struck crucial 50s in the second innings under extreme pressure.

"They've been great players for us, they've always done the job for the team over the years. They've obviously been under the pump a bit, but in the team we believe Pujara and Ajinkya are our best middle order batsmen.

"We always knew they could do something like that. Hopefully that gives them confidence and they can go out in the next test and put up an even better performance."

South Africa skipper struck a match-winning and unbeaten 96 on day four to script a famous win for his team. On the way, he also took a lot of blow on the body which stood out in his gritty knock.

"I would like to think the knocks I take make me extra motivated to perform. Some would call it stupid and some would call it brave. The bigger picture is for us to win.

"We struggled to get a stable batting line-up and we had to be very patient. We've entrusted those positions to guys we feel can perform those roles and great to see them pull it off," said the southpaw.

On the team's comeback from the loss in the series opener, he said: "The basics of batting and bowling don't go away. We missed that in the first game. Saying that, it wasn't easy. Tough conditions we had to face as a batting unit.

"As a bowling unit, the Indians were on top at times. Massive respect to our bowling unit, they showed a lot of character. With KG (Kagiso Rabada), there was something that happened behind the scenes but we're not going to get into that. Sometimes KG needs a rocket. You could then almost sense the intensity and focus, he was in the zone.

The moment he has that attitude, he wants to bowl and wants to contribute, you have to use it as a captain. It was awesome to see him on fire." Elgar is also keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of the series decider.

"I played a domestic game in Cape Town, not going to give away any info. 1-1, South Africa vs India, I don't think you could have written a better script," he added.

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

Rahul Dravid said he is hopeful of seeing Virat Kohli return for 3rd TestKohli had missed the second Test due to back spasmsThe second Test slated to be played in Cape Town from January 11-15

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid said that he is hopeful of seeing Virat Kohli return for the third and final Test against South Africa slated to be played in Cape Town from January 11-15. Dravid's remarks came after India stumbled to a seven-wicket loss in the second Test against South Africa at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. Virat Kohli had missed the second Test due to back spasms and in his place, KL Rahul stepped in to lead the side.

"Virat Kohli should be fine from all accounts, he should be fine. He has had the opportunity to run around a little bit, he has had the opportunity to test it a little bit. Hopefully with a couple of net sessions in Cape Town, he should be good to go. Everything I am hearing and just having a chat with him, he should be good to go in four days time," said Dravid during a virtual press conference.

When asked about his take on India's batting performance in the series so far, Dravid said, "It has been challenging wickets for both the teams, South Africa's fourth innings was probably their best with the bat. Yes, as a batting unit we can look to seize a few key moments and when we get partnerships, we can look to make them longer. It was challenging in the first innings but we could have gotten 55-60 runs more which could have made a huge difference."

"Certainly, we would like to bat a little better. Maybe the guys who got starts could have converted them into 100s. That was the difference in the first game, we had Rahul scoring century for us and we ended up on the winning side. Dean Elgar scored 96 in this Test and South Africa ended up on the winning side," he added.

Dean Elgar played a captain's knock scoring an unbeaten 96 to take the hosts to a 7-wicket win levelling the 3-match series 1-1 against India.

After the rain interruption, the play finally started on the penultimate day of the Test match where South Africa resumed the day with an overnight score of 118/2. Elgar and Bavuma comfortably took South Africa home with the captain fittingly scoring the winning runs as the hosts levelled the 3-match Test series 1-1.

"Hanuma Vihari played really well in both the innings. He batted beautifully in the second innings, Shreyas Iyer batted well for us in the past. The guys have to take heart from the fact that they are doing well when the opportunity is presenting itself. It happens, it is the nature of the sport and we can take confidence from the way Vihari batted in this game," said Dravid.

"I would not say we were complacent in this game, we were in this game. We felt 240 in the final innings would not be easy to defend, but with little bit of luck, we would have had much better chance. It is something an area we can look to get better at, but I would not put it down to being complacent," he added.

NDTV

 

[James]

Absolutely thrilled to see that this exciting series is going to a deciding Test. It’s been much more competitive than the Ashes.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Absolutely thrilled to see that this exciting series is going to a deciding Test. It’s been much more competitive than the Ashes.

That's an understatement. Ashes in Australia should be reduced to a 3 test affair. Australia needs to invite Pakistan or New Zealand to play another 3 test series.

 

[mastimasti]

I can not believe we lost this! Had it in the bag, to go 2-0 up against an inferior SA side. My prediction of 2-1 India still stands.

 

[Mesozoic]

India doesn't usually have two bad Test matches in a row these days. So, I'm still very much hopeful of a series win.

Expect 2 changes.. Virat in for Vihari and Umesh in for Siraj. Although Kaptaan may incline towards his delhi buddy Ishant.

 

[Mesozoic]

That's an understatement. Ashes in Australia should be reduced to a 3 test affair. Australia needs to invite Pakistan or New Zealand to play another 3 test series.

That is not how this works. Ashes series, no matter how one sided they're, would still have much higher viewership than a one-sided series with Pakistan or New Zealand.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...oQFnoECDgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3lX12nP8vMe8OvdIerFTX9

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...oQFnoECC8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0dDcSaS3XxClKPfii4aNNX


It's all about $$$ at the end of the day. They'd even watch a 7-0 ashes whitewash over a competitive (big if) 3 match series against Pakistan Or New Zealand.

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

With a strong performance in 2nd test, momentum is surely with south Africa. I'm backing them to win the final test and series.
Their fast bowlers will spit venom against our non existent middlle order.

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

Who all are going to get niggle,back spasm,stomach bug,etc before next test.
Most probably Vihari or Ashwin.

 

[sweep_shot]

Since Kohli is returning, I expect India to win this game and win the series.

 

[MenInG]

The 'problem of plenty' is a good headache to have in any sporting team but the competition for places in the Indian team arguably remains unparalleled. An injury to Virat Kohli paved the way for Hanuma Vihari to make his first appearance in the Indian whites since the drawn Sydney Test between India and Australia in January last year.

Vihari did reasonably well with the opportunity, scoring 20 and 40 not-out in the two innings of the second Test against South Africa at Johannesburg. But, the threat of another axe is swinging over his head once again, with skipper Kohli likely to return to the playing XI in the third Test.

The arrival of Vihari in the Indian team wasn't just an opportunity to impress the management and selectors for the Hyderabad lad but also a warning for Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara who arguably were the two most under-pressure players in the team going into the second Test. However, a half-century each from the two in the second innings seems to have made the situation a complex one for the team management.

Considering Kohli is fit to return after missing the Johannesburg encounter due to upper back spasm, who will be the one making way for him - Rahane, Pujara, or Vihari?

A 50 each for Rahane and Pujara, but is that enough?

Yes, Pujara and Rahane did turn back the clock with a brilliant counter-attacking knock in the second innings of the second Test. But, from the context of the game, their performance wasn't enough to guide the Indian team to a victory. It was South Africa skipper Dean Elgar who really showed how to bat on that wicket, scoring an unbeaten 96 in his team's triumph.

If the entire picture is looked at, it does seem like at least one of Rahane and Pujara should've continued and turned the fifty into a big knock. Had either of them gone on to score a century, the result of the match could've ended in the Indian team's favour.

There are those who even argue that it was an opportunity missed by the veteran duo. Despite scoring half-centuries and understanding the nature of the pitch, Rahane and Pujara should've done more in helping India secure a series-deciding win.

The million-dollar question remains, is a half-century enough for the duo to be persisted with after a string of unimpressive performances?

While Hanuma Vihari be sacrificed again?

An unbeaten knock of 40 runs by Hanuma Vihari in the second innings didn't get talked about much as the half-centuries of Pujara and Rahane became the central talking-point among fans and experts. In what seemed to be a difficult pitch to bat on Day 3, Vihari held one end together as wickets kept falling on the other side. While the entire Indian team was bundled out for 266, Vihari missed out on a much-deserved half-century despite being unbeaten.

In all likeliness, the return of Kohli is expected to see Vihari making way once again despite being a consistent performer whenever he has been called upon. Pujara and Rahane, being two senior players in the team, have enjoyed the management's backing extensively. While even a failure in the Johannesburg Test might not have seen them being dropped, the chances of either of the two making way for Kohli after scoring a half-century each remain slim.

Hanuma Vihari in Johannesburg Test

Despite playing his first game after a gap of one year, Vihari remains on the brink of losing his spot in the team once again, with no clear indication of how and when will he be back. Many would feel that Vihari is the one who deserves to get a consistent run in the team, but for a 'bigger cause', will be the to be sacrificed again.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...ihari-cheteshwar-pujara-ajinkya-rahane/847284

 

[Firebat]

I think the result will mostly be dependent on the performance of the Indian pacers. If Bumrah, Shami, Siraj etc can get back to their proper form after that off-game then India will very probably win.

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

Who all are going to get niggle,back spasm,stomach bug,etc before next test.
Most probably Vihari or Ashwin.

Why not just name the entire XI who played in jo-burg to get the above? Why just these worthies that you have named above?

 

[Ab Fan]

Team will be:-

Rahul
Vihari
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Pant(wkt)
Shardul
Ashwin
Umesh
Shami
Bumrah

 

[RamLakhan]

South Africa may continue to be our enigma! The momentum is with them...

 

[MenInG]

The win at Wanderers against India is a move in the right direction for the South Africa team, according to skipper Dean Elgar, who revealed that while there is room for improvement, the hosts won't be tinkering with their game plan heading into the final Test.

After slumping to a 113-run defeat in the first Test, South Africa bounced back with a superb seven-wicket win here to level the three-match series 1-1.

"It's a positive move, no doubt and a step in the right direction," Elgar was quoted as saying by 'Sports24'.

"We're still going to have challenging encounters coming our way and that includes the next Test that starts on Tuesday. We're going to be pushed to different boundaries and how the guys respond to that is going to be important," he added.

Elgar scored an unbeaten 96 while stitching crucial partnerships with Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma in the second innings to lead his side to a famous victory and the skipper feels the win will fire up the "relatively inexperienced squad" for the final Test.

"However, we're going in the right direction and it's a confidence booster for a lot of the players in the squad.

"We've got a relatively inexperienced squad, but we still know that not everything is going to go our way," Elgar said.

India and South Africa are set to clash in the series-deciding final Test at Newlands, Cape Town from Tuesday and Elgar feels there is room for improvement for the Proteas.

"There were areas that we focused on and going into Cape Town, we'll have to over-emphasise them again," said Elgar.

"We'll have to be strict with our game plan, so we won't be changing too much going into Cape Town with regards to our game plans," he added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...opyURL&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ht_site

 

[MenInG]

Former Proteas all-rounder Vernon Philander says there was plenty to be excited about as a Proteas fan following their impressive victory over India in the second Betway Test match. South Africa beat the tourists by seven wickets late on day four at Imperial Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday to ensure the Freedom Series was level at 1-1 – and setting up a decider for the final Test in Cape Town.

The hosts had lost the opening match by 113 runs at SuperSport Park in Centurion, but put that defeat behind them with a wonderful win at the Bullring, their first over India at the venue in five attempts.

Chasing 240 for victory, captain Dean Elgar lead the way with an unbeaten 96, with meaningful contributions all round. “We’ve always been known to be slow starters, but the way the boys bounced back after losing the toss as well was excellent,” Philander said of the win. “There was a lot of expectations on the bowlers to bowl India out and they did that. I thought they bowled phenomenally well in partnerships.

“They probably started a little bit slow in the second innings and may have been disappointed with the areas they hit. They could have been trying too hard and in the process afforded India more opportunities than they would have expected.

“There was something in the wicket as we saw and had they been more patient, they could have probably bowled India out even cheaper, but over giving yourself something around the 200 mark, we would have always taken that in the last innings.” Amongst the most impressive elements for Philander were the batting intent by the Proteas in their fourth-innings chase. They were positive from the start and caught India out in many respects. “It was probably the best batting performance I’ve seen from the Proteas in a while,” Philander said. “The guys were really clinical, and I think the way Dean lead with the bat was phenomenal.

“Also the mindset made a huge difference. I think in the first innings the boys were a bit tentative, maybe a bit on the defensive side of things.

“But if you look at the second innings we saw some clear intent, the guys were looking to score quicker and you could see the difference it made in demeanour, in body language and the sort of
surprise it gave the India bowlers, who wouldn’t have expected the South Africans to come out and attack as they did.

“It makes a massive difference when you just come out and just allow the bowler to bowl at you
compared to showing positive intent like they did. The way they batted was proper.”

Philander, who took 224 wickets for South Africa in 64 Tests and scored nearly 2000 runs, was also happy to see Keegan Petersen record his maiden 50 at international level. It was a key innings and one that helped Elgar led the team to victory.


He continued: “I was very chuffed for Keegan Petersen as well. We’ve all been praising him for his technique and the way he looked in his career so far. To his credit, he’s only been playing on tough wickets since his debut. It’s an important innings for him.

“I was there once and you feel part of that set-up once you contribute. So now with that 60-odd knock behind him, he will feel a lot more comfortable and confident. It will be a massive boost.”

There was also special mention for Elgar and Kagiso Rabada, who claimed six wickets in the match. “We have to signal out Dean and the way he batted all the way through,” Philander said. “He made sure he stayed in a built partnerships with the other batters around him.

“Then with the ball we can’t not mention KG and that one spell where he turned the game upside down after lunch. In a series like this against a strong India team, you’re going to need bowlers to deliver spells like those that break the game open completely.

The series now moves to Cape Town for the decisive Test that starts next Tuesday.

“I don’t think there’s much between the two teams going into Cape Town,” Philander added. “The last Test would have given South Africa a massive boost on all fronts.

“Very often that is all that you need, one win as a team to give you that confidence and momentum. They will feel they now have that behind them and they can go on to win the series. “Coming to Newlands, one of our favourite hunting grounds, I’m really looking forward to the final Test. It’s going to be a cracker.

https://cricket.co.za/2022/01/08/philander-impressed-with-overall-proteas-performance/

 

[Amjid Javed]

SA need to look at balance of their team, they dont need 5 bowlers in the side also their tail starting at 7 is asking for trouble. There was no need for them to play a spinner in either of 1st two tests. i doubt they will change the team though.

 

[Babeikh]

Really looking forward to this game and expecting an absolute cracker !

 

[SwitchHit]

I just don't get the obsession of playing spinner in these conditions when in these conditions 95/100 they are ineffective.
Especially vs Asian sides when they are just waiting for spinners to play out some easy overs on green and bouncy mambas.
The only reason Nz won vs Ind in the WTC final was that they did not play spinner for the sake of playing it.
Still remember commentators criticising them and it may spin etc. (never happens)

Maharaj has absolutely no business in this XI and so does Ashwin.
Both spinners should be dropped

 

[docteurmanish]

Ishant will be brought in and likely will make a big difference . Ashwin is the key fir next match

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Elgar is turning out to be a very good captain. If Rabada spits venom again, SA will win it.
India have a good chance if they bat first again.

Think India should look to getting Vihari in at 3 ahead of Pujara within a year maybe.

SA should look to get Rilee Rossouw ahead of Keegan Peterson. Kyle Abbott would be a good addition as well on such tracks.

 

[sam_ahm]

India might play Umesh or Ishant in place of Siraj, that looks very likely.

RSA will probably go unchanged although if the pitch is similar to the last 2 tests then playing Rickelton or Linde who is a proper all rounder ahead of Maharaj will be a good option to strengthen the batting.

 

[Extra_Cover]

I have to admit that I didn't though SAF would snatch a win against India especially with Nortje out of series and QdK dropping out mid series. Fair play to Saffers and not only did they win they infact won chasing over 200 on a tricky wicket against the likes of Bumrah and Shami. This win should add a lot of confidence in that camp now.

I still believe India is a superior team to Saffers but momentum can be very critical in cricket. For Saffers to win the final test against India things would have to go their way such as winning toss and batting first. I don't think many teams can chase down totals against this Indian attack in 4th innings although SAF did it in the last game it would not happen this often.

There is one straight forward change for SAF which is to bring Mulder in for Maharaj provided a similar track is laid out in Cape Town. Historically Cape Town has always favoured the pacers so it should be a straight forward switch.

Elgar would have to play the glue innings again for SAF chances to win and if he wants to lift the trophy. The likes of Markram, Bavuma and Petersen are good strokemakers and if one of them goes on to play a long innings things would well go in favour of Saffers. The bowling unit need not change a thing as they have been spot on since first test.

 

[sam_ahm]

Folks, is the India - South Africa ODI series part of the world super league (ODI Super league) because cricinfo doesn't list those games as part of WSL, but some other sites do.

 

[sweep_shot]

Folks, is the India - South Africa ODI series part of the world super league (ODI Super league) because cricinfo doesn't list those games as part of WSL, but some other sites do.

It is not as per official ICC website: https://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup-super-league/fixtures.

 

[Justcrazy]

India should win the series.

SA Tail is too long unless they bat well as a unit it will be difficult for them to force a win.

 

[sam_ahm]

It is not as per official ICC website: https://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup-super-league/fixtures.

Oh ok. That's surprising.

 

[MenInG]

For a player like Virat Kohli who made a habit of scoring centuries, the current drought, which has lasted for more than two years seems hard to believe. Since scoring a ton against Bangladesh in the pink-ball Test match at Kolkata's Eden Gardens in November 2019, Kohli has not registered a three-figure score in any format of the game.

In the same period in Test cricket, his run-scoring rate has not been the best with just 652 runs in 14 Test matches at a below-par average of 26.08.

However, going into the series decider against South Africa at Cape Town, Kohli has played down talks about his poor form and claimed it is not the first time this has happened.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference, Kohli said, "It is not the first time. Let's not get away from reality, it has happened a few times (lean patch)."

"I don't look at myself from the lens that the outside world looks at me. The standards I have been compared with have been set by myself. More than anyone else I take pride in wanting to do the best for the team. In sports sometimes things don't go the way you want them to go but I realise that I have been involved in very important moments in the last year or so as a batter," added Kohli.

Kohli claimed as he has matured as a cricketer his focal point has changed and he no longer looks at himself from a number's perspective.

He said, "Eventually, those moments have been crucial. Sometimes your focal point changes, if you keep looking at yourself in terms of numbers you'll never be happy.

"I take a lot of pride and motivation to be in those moments and have nothing to worry about. I truly believe I don't need to prove myself to anyone. When you are in the position you are going to be judged by the outside world."

After missing the second Test at Johannesburg due to an upper back spasm, Kohli is set to return to the Indian playing XI at the Newlands Stadium.

https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...over-poor-form-ahead-of-cape-town-test/848065

 

[MenInG]

India skipper Virat Kohli has confirmed his availability for the third and final Test of the ongoing series against South Africa in Cape Town starting Tuesday, 11 January.

After missing the second Test in Johannesburg with an upper back spasm, Kohli will return to lead the side in the series decider, with the visitors looking to make history. India have never won a Test series in South Africa, but have a chance to do so this time around, with the series levelled at 1-1.

Kohli's form has been a topic of discussion for a while now with the skipper having gone more than two years without an international hundred. On the eve of the Test, Kohli, who is due to play his 99th Test match, stated in the press conference that he does not "need to prove anything to anyone".

“It’s not the first time [that his form has been in discussion]. England 2014 is one of those phases," Kohli said while addressing the media. "I don’t look at myself from the lenses that the outside world looks at me.

“In sport, sometimes, things don’t go as you want but as a batter, I have been involved in important partnerships when the team needs me. I am in a position where people will judge me but I don’t look at myself like that."

Kohli had put on a half-century stand with KL Rahul in the first innings in Centurion after walking in to face a hat-trick ball. There's less clarity on who Kohli will replace in the XI, but the skipper revealed that there's likely at least one change in the bowling attack for India with Mohammed Siraj still recovering from the hamstring injury he sustained at The Wanderers.

“Siraj is obviously recovering from the [hamstring] niggle he had in the last game and at present, I don’t think he is match-ready to take the field in the third Test," said Kohli. "You cannot obviously risk a guy who is not at 110 percent as a fast bowler and we know how important that is as the little niggle he had can extend into an injury.

“As I said, we are yet to sit down, myself, the head coach, and vice-captain to decide what we want to do about the replacement," he said when asked who would replace the quick bowler.

“And I say that because of our bench strength and it’s difficult for us to figure out as everyone is bowling well, batting well, these things become a point of contention and we need to have a healthy discussion on a decision on that and just that everyone feels balanced about it. But I am happy being in this position sitting here trying to decide who is going to play rather than having other options."

The third and final Test match will be India's sixth Test in Cape Town. They have never won a Test at the Newlands, losing three of the five Tests, including their last outing at the venue in 2018.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2443652?sf158208059=1

 

[sam_ahm]

Looks like this will be the best of the batting wickets we are going to have this series. Best part is that the forecast looks fine for all 5 days, so we can expect some runs being scored and this test streching to 5 days, most likely. I think team batting first will have a sure shot advantage.

 

[Hassaan HS]

PROTEAS SET FOR BIGGEST TEST IN OVER A DECADE

Proteas captain Dean Elgar has described the third Betway Test against India starting at Six Gun Grill
Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday as the biggest in South Africa’s recent history as they aim to
overcome one of the best teams in the world.

After losing the opening match by 113 runs in Centurion, the hosts roared back with a seven-wicket
triumph in Johannesburg to leave the Freedom Series in the balance heading to the final game.
“I think this Test match is essentially the biggest we’ve had in 10 years, maybe 15 years,” Elgar said
ahead of the game.

South Africa have struggled for consistent form over the last few seasons as senior player
retirements, poor form and injuries have taken a toll on them. But the victory in the previous Test
has breathed new life into them and the skipper is hoping to up the ante in the Mother City.
“Test cricket’s always going to have intensity,” he said. “Me as a player, I bring the intensity as well
and it’s something you have to maintain throughout.

“I know it’s not always possible to maintain over five days, but you have to be consistent with
regards to implementing the intensity throughout.

“That’s why it’s so important to switch off when you can because when you’re switching on, you can
almost fall into that mode of knowing what intensity you need to bring.

“We saw at the Wanderers, the minute we brought the intensity, it seemed to almost fluster the
Indians quite a lot. And that can play in our favour. It will be silly of us not to try and replicate that or
bring even more intensity into the next game.”

Although Elgar did not want to get too far ahead of himself, he conceded that beating India at
Newlands this week will be one of the highlights of his career.

“It will be the biggest Test win in my playing career so far,” he said. “Obviously that comes with the
leadership and captaincy now having a bit more influence with regards to our playing group.

“From a player’s group, it would be massive for us. I think we’ve put in so much hard work these last
few months and we’ve been playing pretty good cricket up until now. We’ve just not had a lot of
things go our way. You need that sometimes, we’ve been doing everything right. We’ve been ticking
the boxes we set ourselves.

“What we did in the last Test speaks massive amounts for us leading into this Test. But we can’t look
too far ahead, the moment you do that you’re going to lose the plot.

“For us to win the series 2-1 will be huge, beating the world number one side even though it’s in
your own back yard, it’s still going to speak massive amounts for our players group and the Proteas
badge.”

The Proteas are expected to field the same XI for the clash. There will be one big moment on day
one as senior fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will win his 50 th Test cap for South Africa.

Aged 26, the paceman continues to marvel and break all sorts of records during his journey as a Test
cricketer.

Elgar paid tribute to ‘KG’ and his career path thus far.

“KG’s been brilliant for the Proteas badge,” he added. “He’s come of age in the last few years, I
mean playing 50 Tests for your country is massive.

“I think when KG started, he was extremely raw, and he had express pace. He’s a huge influence on
our player group both on and off the field.

“So I’m extremely excited and happy for KG. It’s happened so quickly and he’s still only 26. He still
has so much more to offer us from a Test point of view and long may he continue for us.”

The decisive third Betway Test takes place from 11 – 15 January in Cape Town.

The series is being broadcast live on SuperSport and SABC, with live updates on the Official CSA App.

Betway Test Series | Freedom Series

Squads

South Africa:

Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Kagiso Rabada, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks,
George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Peterson, Rassie
van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne (wicket-keeper), Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Prenelan
Subrayen, Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Duanne Olivier.

India:

Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Priyank
Panchal, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-
keeper), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah,
Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj

Schedule

1 st Betway Test: South Africa lost to India by 113 runs at SuperSport Park, Centurion
2 nd Betway Test: South Africa beat India by 7 wickets at Imperial Wanderers, Johannesburg
3 rd Betway Test: 11 – 15 January at Six Gun Grill Newlands, Cape Town

https://cricket.co.za/2022/01/10/proteas-set-for-biggest-test-in-over-a-decade/

 

[Cricfan4eva]

I'd be surprised if Yadav plays ahead of Ishant. Ishant has been overlooked for Siraj for god knows what reason (I hope it's not injury) but Ishant has been fantastic.

Since 2019 overseas

Ishant has 21 wickets @ 18.33
Yadav has 12 wickets @ 30.00
Siraj has 30 wickets @ 32.33

Ishant is the only other Indian bowler to have 2+ 5-fors in this period other than Bumrah, yet he's warming the benches. He has to play tomorrow!

 

[Mp812]

Elgars once in decade performance denied india a win in second test. An average performance by India should ensure them a win in 3rd test just like they performed average in first test.
Exciting series overall

 

[Amjid Javed]

SA need to bring in an extra batsmen fir final test, they cant let Elgar single handedly carring team paper over the cracks of their weak top 6. Add to that mahraj is not going to be any use in these conditions, also india play spin well so again a waste of time selection.

 

[Savak]

I'd be surprised if Yadav plays ahead of Ishant. Ishant has been overlooked for Siraj for god knows what reason (I hope it's not injury) but Ishant has been fantastic.

Since 2019 overseas

Ishant has 21 wickets @ 18.33
Yadav has 12 wickets @ 30.00
Siraj has 30 wickets @ 32.33

Ishant is the only other Indian bowler to have 2+ 5-fors in this period other than Bumrah, yet he's warming the benches. He has to play tomorrow!

Ishant inspite of his height is no longer the same bowler as he was at the start of his career, he in the last 5-6 years has relied more on swing, seam and doesn't really bowl the heavy bouncer anymore. India might need someone who can hit the deck and push the batsmen back a bit. Ishant was dropped by India in England due to poor rhythm.

 

[Savak]

SA need to bring in an extra batsmen fir final test, they cant let Elgar single handedly carring team paper over the cracks of their weak top 6. Add to that mahraj is not going to be any use in these conditions, also india play spin well so again a waste of time selection.

They need to get someone in with pace. Had Nortje been available, SA would have been favourites