In the second and final test against India at Newlands on Wednesday, South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar won the toss and chose to bat first in the glorious sunshine as the hosts aim to secure a series sweep against the top-ranked team in the world.
To shake things up, South Africa have made three changes to the team that emerged victorious in the first test in Pretoria by an innings and 32 runs on a lively wicket.
One of the changes includes Middle order batter Tristan Stubbs making his debut in place of injured regular captain Temba Bavuma. Another change is Spinner Keshav Maharaj earning his 50th cap in the place of injured Gerald Coetzee, while seamer Lungi Ngidi comes into the team for Keegan Petersen as the hosts opt for an extra bowler.
“It looks an interesting wicket, a few snakes in it, hopefully it comes to the fore when we bowl,” Elgar said. “It is a big hurdle for us and a big test, this is our marquee game for the season. We have to start well.”
India captain Rohit Sharma admitted he would have batted first had he won the toss as the visitors made two changes.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has recovered from back spasms and replaces Ravichandran Ashwin, while seamer Mukesh Kumar comes in to play his second test for Shardul Thakur.
“There will be enough in the pitch for the seamers, so hopefully we can cash in on it,” Rohit said. “It is important for us to forget what has happened in the past, it is about the present.”
Elgar, who announced his retirement ahead of the series, is playing his final match in his 12-year test career.
South Africa’s team consists of Dean Elgar (capt.), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi. Meanwhile, India’s team includes Rohit Sharma (capt.), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar.
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
