India v South Africa 2019: Likely first-team eleven for the hosts in the first Test

#2. Middle-order (Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant)

Captain Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli, who is hailed as the best batsman of this generation, has not been at his best in the pinnacle form of the game in 2019. The Indian captain averages about 31 with only two half-centuries in three matches this year, which is way too low for his standards. The 30-year-old is the best batsman of his team and will surely look to get runs and end his century drought in Test cricket.

The vice-captain of the Indian test team, Ajinkya Rahane was in good form in the last series, in which he scored a century and ended his two-year century drought.

Averaging more than 90, the 31-year-old batsman accumulated 271 runs with one century and two fifties in the Caribbean. The Maharashtra-born player has not been at his very best in the last two years, but has had breakthrough series and will look to carry on the good form.

Rishabh Pant, the attacking batsman, has been under scanner recently for his shot selection. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman scored hundreds against potent bowling attacks of England and Australia in their backyard but didn’t have best of the times in West Indies where he scored just 58 runs in the Test series. The left-handed batsman averaged exactly 92 with two 90+ scores in his last and only home series.