India all set for Test challenge against South Africa in City of Joy
India return to action in whites as they gear up for a mega-challenge against a formidable South African unit. The defending World Test Champions will be hoping to get an impressive start against the might of the hosts but with the kind of firepower that both the teams come in with, one can expect a full-blown battle of two stalwarts.
India will be coming on the back of a successful Test campaign against West Indies, where they annihilated the Islanders in both the contests. This will be their third assignment in the ongoing WTC cycle after their match-up against England and West Indies.
Currently in the third position with four wins and a win percentage of 61.90, Team India will be hoping to bolster their stand in the points table. South Africa has been a part of two Tests in the ongoing cycle, winning one of those. The onus of defending the WTC will be massive on the visitors and this will be a stern challenge for them.
South Africa will be heading into the series on the back of a stalemate against Pakistan, where they lost the first Test in a two-match series while bouncing back strongly in the second Test to share the spoils. Playing their second consecutive Test series in the sub-continent will need the visitors to come up with something special, if they are to extract positives from the series.
Venue Watch:
As suggested by India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, the surface will be a good batting wicket in the early days of the contest. However, as the game goes on, it will have some sharp turn coming in. If not square turn on offer, the spinners will get a good hold of the game, making selection a serious conundrum for both the team management.
Match details:
Match - India vs South Africa, 1st Test
Venue – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date – 14th November, 2025
Time – 9:30 AM
Head-to-head:
Matches played - 44
India - 16
South Africa – 18
Draws - 10
Squads:
India:
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep
South Africa:
Temba Bavuma (C), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk)
