Ashwin to miss out? Where will wicketkeeper KL Rahul bat? India's major Centurion headaches for 1st SA Test

Rohit and Dravid would want their best XI for the opening clash at the SuperSport Park, but the duo certainly have selection problems a few to overcome.

Just a day more to go before the much-anticipated Test series, between India and South Africa, kicks off in Centurion. This will be India's second assignment in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle after registering a 2-0 clean sweep in their tour of the West Indies earlier in the summer and the side, currently placed top of the points table, will be aiming to register their first-ever Test series win in South Africa. Hence, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid would want their best XI for the opening clash at the SuperSport Park, but the duo certainly have selection problems a few to overcome, to line up a winning combination.

India have as many as four selection headaches ahead of the first Test against South Africa

Shubman Gill still at No. 3?

India are in the midst of a transition phase from the era of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara as pillars of middle-order batting. And it was Gill who stepped up to take over Pujara's position in the line-up, at No. 3, to allow young Yashasvi Jaiswal to fit in as an opener alongside Rohit. It was in the West Indies tour where Gill, for the first time since his debut, did he bat at No. 3. In 16 Tests before, he scored 874 runs as an opener at 32.37 with two centuries and four fifties. However, in the two Tests he batted one down, Gill managed scores of 6, 10 and 29* while in those same innings, Jaiswal smashed 171, 57 and 38.

Where will wicketkeeper KL Rahul bat?

The whole debate over whether Rahul should keep wickets ahead of KS Bharat has been ended by Dravid, who on Sunday, in the pre-match presser, hinted that the former will be donning the keeping gloves for the first time ever in his Test career, which comprises 47 appearances for India. But the bigger question stands, where will Rahul bat.

Could it be at No. 3? With Gill's numbers, albeit a bit too early to jump to conclusions, Rahul could be a good fit at No. 3. He did have an impressive tour of South Africa in 2021-22 series where he had even played the role of a stand-in skipper in the Johannesburg game. He had scored 226 runs in six innings with a century and a fifty. Rahul batted at No. 3 only five times in his career, the last being in 2018, which included an appearance in South Africa, and managed 88 runs at 17.60 with a fifty in home conditions (vs Afghanistan in Bengaluru).

The other dilemma is whether he should bat at No. 5, Shreyas Iyer's usual spot, or at No. 6, where he could be backed to tackle the second new ball. The only time Rahul batted outside the top three was in his debut appearance in 2014 in Melbourne, where he managed 3 off 8.

Ashwin to miss out?

This has been a common issue for India - picking an extra spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin, who has five Test centuries to his name or going with an extra pacer in Shardul Thakur, who can add a bit of batting depth. India have largely picked Thakur in overseas conditions, and it is likely to remain the same given the forecast of rain on Day 1 and 2 in Centurion.

"That will be tricky, because you are seeing a forecast on Day 1 and Day 2. It looks awful. The sun is out for four days and so there will be some purchase for spinners, offer turn and bounce, with weather forecast, I don’t know how accurate it will be as there will be lot of rain," curator Brain Bloy told PTI on Saturday.

Mukesh Kumar vs Prasidh Krishna

This shouldn't have been a headache had Mohammed Shami recovered from his ankle injury. But with the veteran seamer rehabilitating at the NCA in Bengaluru, India will have to pick between Shami-like Mukesh, who made his debut in West Indies or Ishant-like Krishna, who is yet to earn his Test cap. It might seem Krishna, who was seen having long conversations with Virat Kohli at the nets on Sunday, will get a go given his high release point and ability to hit the deck.