SA vs IND prediction: Who will win the 1st Test match?

India and South Africa will lock horns in the first match of the three-game Test series, starting Sunday, December 26 at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

In the last 12 months, India have beaten Australia in the latter’s backyard and also took a 2-1 lead against England before the Manchester Test was postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases within the India squad. On both tours, the Indian bowlers, especially the pacers, gave a good account of themselves.

Dean Elgar, the Proteas Test skipper, is also aware of India’s bowling strength. Ahead of the series, although he backed his team to win, the southpaw couldn’t ignore the fact that India are the No. 1 ranked Test team. India will also be going into the game high on confidence after beating New Zealand 1-0 in the recent two-match series.

That said, India were jolted by a blow ahead of the series after Rohit Sharma, their newly-appointed Test vice-captain, was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. The Nagpur-born Sharma has replaced Ajinkya Rahane, who has been jostling for form since the ton he scored at the MCG last year.

Priyank Panchal, who captained India A in their red-ball matches against South Africa A, has replaced Rohit in the 18-man squad. Rohit not featuring in the series has opened the doors for Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal as they are set to open the batting, at least in the first Test.

Back on the 2018 South African tour, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami stole the limelight for India, although they lost the series 1-2. This time, apart from Shami and Bumrah, India also have Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav in their fast-bowling arsenal.

The Proteas also have a strong squad at their disposal and being the home team, they will look to cash in on the familiar conditions and seize the initiative. The hosts won’t have the services of Anrich Nortje, who has been ruled out of the series due to a "persistent" injury.

That means Kagiso Rabada is expected to lead the pace attack in Nortje’s absence. The onus will also be on the likes of Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj to deliver.

---

Can South Africa beat India?

Australia v India: 4th Test: Day 2

Both teams have a power-packed squad going into the three-match series. The Proteas know the venue like the back of their hands and will be looking to take the attack to the opposition.

India, in the meantime, will look to replicate their performances in England and Australia. The team batting first may have the advantage as batting may not get any easier as the game goes along.

Prediction – The team batting first to win the match.