The teams for both the matches are a mix of experience and youth.
Wicketkeeper Kona Bharat has showcased his skills with the gloves and bat in the several games he has played for India 'A' in the past year or so and is close to selection in the Test team.
Rohit Sharma's unbeaten century and Yuzvendra Chahal's superb show with the ball along with Jasprit Bumrah's fiery spell helped India begin their World Cup campaign with a confident victory.
Talented Indian batsman Virat Kohli jumped three places to joint second in the latest ICC ODI players' rankings issued on Monday.
IMAGES from the 4th ODI played between India and South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday
Faf du Plessis scored an inspirational century on debut as South Africa completed a morale-boosting draw in the second Test on the fifth and final day of against Australia on Monday.
Skipper Graeme Smith believes South Africa have possibly the best top-six among contemporary batting line-ups as they prepare to face Pakistan in the second Test at Newlands starting on Thursday.
Speaking about Markram's form, Gibson said that that the 23-year-old has earlier shown what he is capable of but is currently batting out of his style.
A sublime unbeaten 145 by Kane Williamson led New Zealand to a 27-run victory over the Proteas in the second One-day International on Tuesday to seal their first series win on South African soil.
AB de Villiers returned to form with a brisk half-century which helped South Africa to complete a 62-run win and a 2-1 series victory over New Zealand on Wednesday.
Ricky Ponting was moved to tears after his celebrated Test career came to a close with a whimper rather than a bang on Monday when his beloved Australia side suffered a series defeat against South Africa.
Ricky Ponting's 17-year Test career came to an end just before lunch on the fourth day of the third Test against South Africa at the WACA on Monday after he had made eight runs.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his stronghold at the top of the ICC Test All-Rounder rankings while Ravindra Jadeja stayed fifth in the chart.
Opener Mayank Agarwal stamped his authority on a struggling South African attack with a second successive hundred as India gained the upperhand on the opening day of the second Test.
South African veteran Mark Boucher will have to wait until the England series, starting in July, to become the first wicketkeeper to achieve 1 000 international dismissals.
'South Africa have found a little sweet spot with David Warner'
Pacer Mohammed Siraj bagged his maiden 10-wicket haul as India 'A' beat South Africa 'A' by a comprehensive innings and 30 runs after stiff resistance from the middle order on the final day of the first 'Test'.
India regained top status in Test cricket, after nearly four-and-half years, following England's 2-1 series victory over former leaders South Africa.
'It's Test cricket and (Shannon) is an emotional guy trying to do everything he can to win a Test match. Sometimes people say things on the field that they might regret'
South Africa made light work of England in the second one-day international in Southampton on Tuesday, defeating the hosts by 80 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after being set up by Hashim Amla's 150.
Fast bowler Vernon Philander has achieved a career-best second position on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers after inspiring South Africa to a 51-run victory over England in the third Test at Lord's, which gave the Proteas a 2-0 series win, and, with it, the number-one position on the Reliance ICC Test Championship table.
Prior to the series, Sri Lanka had not won a game in any format since October but become the first team from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa as they comfortably chased down a victory target of 197 on the third day.
The second Test between West Indies and South Africa ended in a tedious draw on the final day on Tuesday when the tourists declared and both teams agreed there was no point continuing.
South African swashbuckler A B de Villiers found a positive for India in what has been a thoroughly disappointing Test campaign in South Africa so far - their 'lively pace attack' which he says, has surprised the hosts.
Tailenders Wayne Parnell and Rusty Theron fashioned a fantastic three-wicket victory for South Africa in the second Twenty20 international against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
Hazlewood, Marsh named Australia's joint Test vice-captains
Kane Williamson scored his second Test century and guided New Zealand to an unexpected draw as the hosts made 200 for six at the end of the third and final Test against South Africa at the Basin Reserve on Tuesday.
But the focus will be on 19-year-old Gill, who has broken into the Indian Test squad for the three-match series against the Proteas, starting on October 2 in Visakhapatnam.
India displace SA off perch to become No 1 team in ODIs
South Africa's AB de Villiers on Wednesday announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket with immediate effect.
England debutant Toby Roland-Jones wreaked havoc as he picked four wickets to have South Africa reeling at 126 for 8 at stumps on Day 2 of the third Test at the Oval on Friday.
South Africa will head to India armed with three frontline slow bowlers in their Test squad after recalling leg-spinner Imran Tahir and off-break bowler Dane Piedt for the four-match series starting in November.
Amid the ever-rising danger of the coronavirus outbreak, with more than 40 positive cases in the country, Bhuvneshwar Kumar said India's players are taking every possible precaution in these difficult times.
A wicketkeeper rarely earns kudos purely for his glovework but Wriddhiman Saha enjoyed that rare acclaim during the second Test against South Africa at Pune.
India's Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin thrived on a spinners' paradise in Mohali, bamboozling South Africa's batsmen in the first Test to secure a 108-run victory with more than two days to spare on Saturday.
South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis will not play in all the five ODIs against visitors Sri Lanka as he plans in advance to participate in what could be his sixth and last World Cup for the country in 2015.
Even if India manages to win the next two Tests against Australia, it will still lose its second place in the ICC Test ranking to South Africa.India have conceded a 0-2 lead to Australia in the four-match series.
What is left to do after India's early exit is to analyse the performance of each and every player and find out what was their contribution to the team's cause.
Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers have been recalled to South Africa's One-day international side for the visit of New Zealand later this month, but young wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has been axed after a poor run of form in Bangladesh.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between India and South Africa in Mohali, on Saturday.
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