CAPE TOWN
– Bhuvneshwar Kumar immediately made Proteas captain Faf du Plessis question
his decision to bat first when he removed opener Dean Elgar with the third ball
of the first Test at Newlands.
Kumar exploited the green conditions underfoot by getting
the ball the seam across Elgar.
South
Africa’s highest run-scorer of 2017 could
only follow the ball through to wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha to silence a
packed Newlands.
New batsman Hashim Amla was also tested with the remaining
three balls from Bhuvneshwar, but survived the rest of the over.
Bhuvneshwar, though, gained further success when he trapped
Aiden Markram (5) in his second over lbw. South Africa were reeling at
7/2 in the third over when AB de Villiers walked to the crease.
The big news at the toss, though, was South Africa’s
decision to select four seamers, with Dale Steyn making his much-anticipated
comeback to Test cricket after a year-long absence due to a shoulder injury.
Test series history between South Africa and India. Graphic: Rowan Abrahams
Batsman Temba Bavuma was the unfortunate casualty, with
all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo making way for the return of captain Faf du
Plessis.
India also granted a Test debut to Jaspit Bumrah at the expense of Ishant Sharma,
while Rohit Sharma was also preferred to Ajinkya Rahane.
Teams For
Newlands
South
Africa:
Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du
Plessis (captain), Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso
Rabada, Dale Steyn, Morné Morkel.
India:
Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara,
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Wriddiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran
Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.
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