The first matches for the T20 and Test series for the South Africa Tour of India seems to be jinxed. Rain always plays a spoilt sport and pours a dampener on the enthusiasm. As both the teams were revving to start the Test series at Vizianagaram, in Andhra Pradesh and practice their strategy for the test matches, rain unleashes her beauty on the field today. As beautiful as it may be, the toss was delayed, and covers were rolled out to protect the pitch. It feels like déjà vu; a repeat of what happened at Mohali.
In today’s test match, the lineup for both the teams looked promising. These were the players:
| Board Presidents XI Team | South Africa Team |
| Mayank Agarwal | Aiden Markram |
| Rohit Sharma(c) | Dean Elgar |
| Abhimanyu Easwaran | Theunis de Bruyn |
| Priyank Panchal | Faf du Plessis(c) |
| Karun Nair | Temba Bavuma |
| Siddhesh Lad | Quinton de Kock(w) |
| Srikar Bharat(w) | Vernon Philander |
| Jalaj Saxena | Keshav Maharaj |
| Dharmendrasinh Jadeja | Lungi Ngidi |
| Shardul Thakur | Kagiso Rabada |
| Umesh Yadav | Anrich Nortje |
| Avesh Khan | Dane Piedt |
| Ishan Porel | Heinrich Klaasen |
| Zubayr Hamza | |
| Senuran Muthusamy |
If you look at the Indian lineup, you will notice that Jasprit Bumrah is absent. It was revealed in this week that he is recovering from a minor stress fracture in his lower back at the National Cricket Academy. Jasprit Bumrah took to Twitter to reassure his fans that they will see him soon. He tweeted, “Injuries are part and parcel of the sport. Thank you for all your recovery wishes. My head is held high and I am aiming for a comeback that’s stronger than the setback.” Umesh Yadav replaced Bumrah in the Test matches.
But all eyes will be on Rohit Sharma. It is his opportunity to shine and rise to the top of the board. If he performs well in these test matches, he will get the green signal to travel for international matches in the coming year.
Rohit Sharma is a tough place as he is paired with Mayank Agarwal, who had played poorly in the Test matches against West Indies. Will this pairing prove expensive for Sharma? Will they pull through and lead India to victory?
The official Test Series begin on October 2nd at Visakhapatnam. Hoping to better climate and outstanding game.
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