Current India-South Africa Combined Test XI

Middle-order

Pujara and Kohli have laid the perfect foundation for India's recent Test success

Cheteshwar Pujara

The battle for third spot was a close contest between Cheteshwar Pujara and Hashim Amla. While the latter has played more matches and is more consistent across various conditions, if you look at recent form there can only be one winner.

In the last three years, Pujara has scored 2,323 runs at an average of almost 60 with eight centuries while Amla has scored just under 2,000 runs at an average of just over 40 with five fifties. Pujara was incredible in 2017, recording over 1,000 Test runs in the calendar year for the first time in his career and he will look to continue that in South Africa.

Virat Kohli

Indian captain Virat Kohli has been in simply sensational form since the start of 2016. He has over 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year for the first time in his career and has also scored an incredible six double centuries, breaking Brian Lara's record of most Test double centuries as captain.

In fact, among players who have played at least 10 Tests since the start of 2016, no player has a better Test average than Kohli who averages 75.80. Those incredible numbers mean that his opposite number, Faf du Plessis, who averages over 55 in Tests during the same period misses out.

AB de Villiers

Although he hasn't played a lot of Test cricket in the recent past, there can be few who can question his place in this side. AB de Villiers brings with him a wealth of experience and the ability to play depending on the situation that the team is in. The holder of the record for fastest ODI fifty, century and 150 also scored two of the slowest knocks in recent memory in Australia and India, showing he can adapt to any situation.

Coming off an injury that has plagued him recently, AB de Villiers will be looking to get back to form against India.