Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
South Africa coach Shukri Conrad was overwhelmed to see his spinners rule the roost in the first Test against India at the Eden Gardens, signalling to him that the Rainbow Nation is no longer an exclusive "fast bowling country" and hoped that a lot more slow bowlers will emerge.
Former Australian captain Allan Border harshly criticised compatriot and rising batter Sam Konstas for his poor shot selection in red-ball format, advising him to "shelve" his signature ramp shot.
India remained on course for a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow-on but West Indies produced a much better batting display in their second innings to reach 173-2 on day three of the second and final Test in New Delhi on Sunday.
'The whole country is behind him and watching his performances. You can't ignore a guy who's done so much for India.'
Former South African batter AB de Villiers hoped that Team India seamer Jasprit Bumrah will carry his red-ball form into the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE, but felt the pace spearhead might not feature in all games in the continental tournment.
Washington Sundar enhanced his reputation as a T20 hitter with India batting in top gear through the innings to comfortably chase down a target of 187 for a series levelling five-wicket win over Australia.
As Jasprit Bumrah prepares for his return to the shortest format in national colours in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, scheduled from September 9 to 28 in the UAE, former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof shared his thoughts on the pacer's recurring fitness issues and how the team management could effectively manage his workload.
"He needs to rotate strike, keep the scoreboard moving": Pathan on Virat ahead of 3rd Sydney ODI
Skipper Shubman Gill acknowledged that the choice between a spinner and an extra seamer for the first Test against South Africa is nothing short of a "conflict".
Asked about Bumrah's availability for the next match, Gill was clear at the post-match presentation, "Definitely," he said
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been reprimanded and handed a demerit point for deliberately stepping in England player Ollie Pope's way as he went for a run which led to "inappropriate physical contact" during the first Test at Hyderabad.
Since he took over, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stressed on multi-skilled players across formats, especially those who can add batting depth.
Mohammed Siraj's commitment to a team-first approach sets him apart from the others and the pacer has demonstrated strong leadership qualities, said former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
Spinners of both sides will have a significant role to play considering that Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the only specialist pacers who will be seen in action in Sunday's match.
Sources in the BCCI in the know of developments have confirmed that the pacer is set to get married soon and has taken a leave to prepare for the same.
As Farhan reached his fifty, lofting Axar Patel for a massive six over mid-wicket, he pulled off a gun-firing celebration with his bat, adding another layer of intrigue to an already electric rivalry.
Gambhir didn't name him 'most stylish'. Instead, he chose Shubman Gill for that tag
'...the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.'
This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
'Can Gautam Gambhir almost look at being serious about picking 20 wickets as much as he feels about depth in batting?'
Bumrah has been at the heart of India's success in recent years. He spearheaded India's title-winning run in the T20 World Cup last year, finishing with 15 wickets, and overall has 89 scalps in 70 matches at a remarkable average of 17.74.
India's final practice session ahead of the Lord's Test witnessed playful banter between pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
South Africa will aim for their first Test victory in India in more than 15 years.
India will be keen to get the job done against Bangladesh and seal their place in Sunday's final before considering resting their players.
India Test captain Shubman Gill indicated that the team is moving away from its preference for rank turners in home Test matches.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
Our batters never play such kind of bowlers, were overawed by big names: UAE coach Rajput
Against Bangladesh, Samson wasn't even considered good enough to come inside the top seven of the line-up and that begs a question as to what is he doing in the team if he isn't good enough to come ahead of Axar Patel.
India's spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is likely to miss the fifth and final Test against England, at The Oval starting on Thursday, due to workload management concerns.
Jasprit Bumrah takes a fifer at Lord's and goes past Kapil Dev for most five wicket hauls in away Tests.
Skipper Shubman Gill had a long batting stint while the troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel returned to action for India's final training session here on Wednesday before the first Test against the West Indies.
Abhishek Sharma reached 931 ratings point, which is 12 more than the previous best rating of 919 attained by England's Dawid Malan in 2020.
Massive chance for series win in India, SA better-placed with spin resources: Bavuma
Rishabh Pant hurt his left index finger while trying a leg-side stop off a Jasprit Bumrah delivery during the 34th over of the England innings on Day 1.
Shubman Gill is the flavour of the season after his stupendous show in the recent Test series against England but he will face a contender in Axar Patel for vice-captaincy
Seldom has an India vs Pakistan clash played with such a volatile backdrop, where cricket seems inseparably knotted with off-field tension, provocative gestures, and fines slapped on both camps.
The likes of Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel would all like to get some decent hit out there in the middle ahead of Sunday's clash against Pakistan.
Historically, the surface deteriorates and it is expected to be no different in this Test.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances