India opt to bat against SA in Vizag Test

by IANS |

Visakhapatnam, Oct 2 (IANS) India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test of the three-match series against South Africa beginning Wednesday at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.

India had already announced their playing XI on Tuesday in which they included Wriddhiman Saha as their wicketkeeper in place of Rishabh Pant.

"(It was) No brainer that we are going to bat. It looks a good wicket. We will like to play well for the first couple of days. The nature of the pitch is that it'll get slower after that," Kohli said after winning the toss.

"It's a great opportunity for Rohit Sharma at the top of the order. He's excited to get the role clarity. It's a new opportunity for him.

"According to me, (Wriddhiman) Saha is the best keeper in the world. We were waiting for the right moment to bring him back.

"They had more experienced players back then. It's going to be a hard grind for sure," he added.

"Our coin toss record in the subcontinent isn't the best. The first innings is going to be very important. We've lost a few Test players, even in the last year or so. It's a fresh start for a lot of new faces. It's a very young group," said Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis.

"These guys will be the next Dale Steyns and the next Hashim Amlas. Good to be at the start of the journey for them, have to try and play a mentorship role to get them through. The dryness of the surface, we've gone in with two seamers, one all-rounder, and three spinners," he added.

Playing XI

India: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Vernon Philander, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada

Latest News
New AI tool can predict fatal heart rhythm with 80 pc accuracy Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:41 PM
IPL 2024: 'Perplexed, beyond my understanding', Smith, Pathan slam Hardik's tactics of using Bumrah vs SRH Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:27 PM
Sensex surges more than 700 points led by gains in financial stocks Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:19 PM
India launches new database to record crimes against UN peacekeepers Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:11 PM
Israel bracing for six-week Rafah operation immediately after Ramzan Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 12:04 PM
Meghalaya CM thanks PM Modi for not fielding BJP candidates Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:40 AM
Ladakh agitation intensifies as protesters threaten march to border with China Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:38 AM
Stoinis, Harris, Neser, Agar miss out as Australia announce national contracts for 2024-25 Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:34 AM
Devine out of 5th T20I against England with injury; Plimmer comes in as replacement Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:32 AM
X users with 2,500 verified subscriber followers to get Premium service for free Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:26 AM
Top VC firm Accel to nurture 8 early-stage startups in India Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:25 AM
Only 4 pc of Indian firms are 'mature' to tackle modern cyber attacks: Report Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:23 AM
India, China hold crucial meet to resolve issues along LAC Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:13 AM
Hezbollah announces death of five operatives in Israeli airstrike Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:11 AM
EAM Jaishankar's three-nation Southeast Asia tour to enhance ties concludes Thu, Mar 28, 2024, 11:09 AM