Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun had a close look at the pitch which wore a dry look, indicating that it would have something for the spinners.
Du Plessis revealed on Wednesday that all-rounder Chris Morris and seamer Duanne Olivier had been released from the expanded 17-man squad, but that the home side were still mulling over two positions.
Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen impressed with the bat as a much-changed South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by 16 runs to seal the Twenty20 International series at Centurion Park on Friday.
The aches and pains they carried to the field had numbed to such an extent by the end of it all that Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari had no idea what they had pulled off by steering India to an unforgettable draw against Australia with their three-hour vigil, in the third Test in Sydney on Monday.
Following the disastrous tour to India, South Africa will look to make amends in the home series against England and hope Boucher will help them in change of fortunes.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between South Africa and Australia in Port Elizabeth on Monday.
India will be desperately hoping that Rohit replicates his limited overs success in the traditional format
South Africa's mammoth total of 438 for four against India in the fifth and final One-dayer was the highest innings score in the country, besides being the joint third-highest ever in the world, in Mumbai, On Sunday.
Two wickets from successive balls in Ben Stokes's third over removed Quinton de Kock (5) and Faf du Plessis (0) and ended faint South Africa hopes of mounting a rearguard action in pursuit of their nominal target of 492.
India coach Anil Kumble categorically dismissed allegations of ball tampering levelled against skipper Virat Kohli by the British media, stating that he does not believe in "giving wind to such stories".
Images from Tuesday's IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai.
South Africa needed to bat for 146 overs to save the second Test but fell just over eight short as a brilliant spell of bowling from Ben Stokes cleaned up their tail and levelled the four-match series for England in the final hour of the day.
Chennai Super Kings will look to continue their winning streak when they lock horns with Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in Mohali, on Sunday.
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada said his team will look to use the past experience of playing in the sub-continent when they take on India in the upcoming assignments.
Opener Quinton de Kock passed the half-century mark for the eighth time in nine innings across all formats to lift South Africa to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the fourth One-day International at St George's Park on Wednesday.
Explaining the insane bids of Morris, Maxwell, Meredith, Richardson
It will be a big statement if Virat Kohli's young side could start off with a bang at Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 'spritual home', a task which will be easier said than done.
Uncapped spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were named in South Africa's squad for next month's three-match test series in Australia on Monday as the Proteas seek to exploit a perceived weaknesses in their hosts' batting. Faf du Plessis will again captain the team in the absence of injured AB de Villiers after leading the side in the two-test series against New Zealand last month, which they won 1-0. "Basically, we are following a horses for courses policy as we feel that spinners who turn the ball away from the right-hander are going to be particularly useful under Australian conditions and against the test batsmen we are likely to face," selector Linda Zondi said in a statement.
JP Duminy has been named in the South African Twenty20 squad for the three-match home series against West Indies next month, but a number of other top players will again be rested.
South Africa's Quinton de Kock top-scored with a fluent 94 as they cruised to a 113-run victory over Sri Lanka and a 2-0 lead in their five-match One-day International series on Wednesday.
'Never would have thought 3-0 would have been possible against this Australian side'
Jofra Archer showed why England could not leave him out of their final ICC Men's Cricket World Cup squad as he bowled them to opening win against South Africa.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and South Africa, in Pune.
MS Dhoni will play for Pune in the next edition of the Indian Premier League.
Rohit Sharma scored a century in his first innings as India's new Test opener and gave the hosts a flying start along with partner Mayank Agarwal of Day 1 of the first Test in Visakhapatnam.
Markram's good form augurs well for the Proteas
Terming the Indian pitches in the ongoing Test series as the toughest he has faced in his career, South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis has said that the senior players in the visiting side need to support their younger team-mates and keep them motivated.
Dhoni came out to bat at number seven in Tuesday's match and took time to settle down before unleashing his powerful shots
South Africa have included the world's number one test bowler Vernon Philander in their preliminary 30-man squad for the World Twenty20 tournament to be played in Bangladesh in March and April next year.
After the gruelling league phase of the ongoing IPL, the stage is set for the play-offs with CSK and MI clashing against each other for a place in May 12 final.
South Africa coach Mark Boucher said winning his first Test match in charge was as good as the many victories he enjoyed as a player after his maiden triumph against England on Sunday. The 107-run victory in the first Test at Centurion Park came a fortnight after Boucher, 43, was appointed to the post after a shake-up of Cricket South Africa's structures at the start of the month.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been charged with ball tampering, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Friday. Du Plessis was charged after television footage appeared to show him applying an artificial substance to the ball during the fourth day's play in the second test against Australia in Hobart.
South Africa batsman Quinton de Kock doesn't want his team to lose sleep over an expected spin threat but warned the players to "prepare for the worst" during their tour of India this month.
Dimuny apologised to the Proteas fans for the team's dismal performance in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, CSK revealed England fast bowler Mark Wood and uncapped Indian players Kanishk Seth and Kshitiz Sharma have been released.
Opener Aiden Markram made a return to form as he scored 78 to help South Africa into a strong position on the opening day of the second Test against Pakistan at Newlands on Thursday.
Faf du Plessis made a successful review of an lbw decision against him before guiding South Africa to a series-clinching six-wicket victory in the fifth and final One-dayer against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday.
AB de Villiers ruled out of the three-match T20I series due to a knee injury
Replying to India's 497-9 declared, South Africa were all out for 162
South Africa will have to produce an exceptional batting performance to get back into the contest when skipper Faf du Plessis and Zubayr Hamza return to the crease in Ranchi on Monday.
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