South Africa vs India 2018: India's probable playing XI for the first Test 

Middle order

Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara has been rock solid at number 3 for Virat Kohli's men and had a stunning home season. Replicating that success away from home won't be easy for Pujara but the right-hander will just look to do that and prove that he is a man for all conditions.

Virat Kohli (c)

The last two years saw the Indian skipper scale greater heights both as a batsman and as a captain. Kohli holds the key for the Indian team and the skipper will look to lead from the front when he takes the fields in South Africa.

Ajinkya Rahane

Out of all the Indian players, Ajinkya Rahane is facing a lot of criticism after having a below-par series against Sri Lanka that saw him score less than 10 runs in the entire series. Rahane has been India's crisis man when the team toured overseas four years back and the Mumbaikar will look to find his form and do what he did in the past in these conditions.

Rohit Sharma

Number 6 is an area of concern for the Indian team as the player who will take this spot will be decided after the team combination is fixed. If the team management wants to go in with six batsmen and four bowlers, Hardik Pandya will get the nod and if they decide to go in with a 7-4 combination, Rohit Sharma will be batting at this position.

At least for the first Test, it is expected that India's vice-captain in ODIs will get the nod ahead of his Mumbai Indians teammate, thanks to his recent heroics.