IND vs SA Highlights, 1st Test Day 1: Rahul keeps India solid at 272/3 at Stumps

After bowling outside the off-stump for the majority of the over, Rabada finds the perfect angle on the final delivery as he keeps the line on the fourth stump, inviting Rahul to play. The openers is beaten.

India 0/0

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal open for India. Kagiso Rabada to bowl the first over.

Desmond Tutu passed away at the age of 90 earlier today. Both teams lineup to observe a moment's silence in tribute. It is followed by national anthems of both sides.

India, essentially, with a four-man pace attack of Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, and Shardul. South Africa take the field with Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi. What lineups!

There had been significant speculation over Ajinkya Rahane's place in the side but he eventually returns to the playing XI for the first Test. Surprisingly, Hanuma Vihari – who had produced impressive performances in India ‘A’s matches in South Africa earlier this month, is not included.

India KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

South Africa Dean Elgar(c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock(w), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

‘Wicket looks nice. It has grass on it. The pitch tends to get faster, so runs on the board have their advantage. It’s challenging. Our success started from series that we played here (in 2017-18). We won the last Test in South Africa. We got confidence that we can win in away series more often. It's a strong South African unit, they know their lines and lengths. Quite lucky to have centre nets, got time to prepare for the match. We know where to hit the balls, how the ball carry. We're playing with three seamers and all-rounder with Ashwin. Three seamers are Siraj, Bumrah and Shami."

India opt to bat!

“There's a bit of green grass but I think it will a good cricket wicket. It's a matters of getting few overs in their legs. If teams do their basics well, they can come out of the top.”

All eyes will be on Team India's combination for the first Test. Head coach Rahul Dravid remained tight-lipped about the inclusions in the XI in the pre-match press conference, and it will be interesting to see if the team management tilts towards experience or the young blood.

"The pitches can be challenging because of the tennis-ball bounce. In Australia, the pitches are fast and bouncy, but here it can be spongy in the first couple of days. Then it starts to quicken up. When I played [in South Africa] last time, the wicket was a bit difficult and you had to understand and adjust according to that. That becomes a challenge for both batters and bowlers"

"They are ranked No. 1 in the world. You can't not give them the credit for what they have done over the last while. So I'm not going to sit here and say they are not the best side in the world, because there's a ranking system for a reason. But the mere fact that we're playing in our backyard gives us the upper hand going into the series"

Traditionally, the Boxing Day Test in South Africa is played in Durban. However, the new omicron variant of Covid-19 has forced a shift to Centurion. 

Furthermore, the T20I series was also cancelled but the ODIs will go as scheduled.

A 71st international century is long awaited for the Indian captain but Kohli will also be eyeing a number of other milestones as he gears up for the South Africa challenge.

• The Indian Test captain is only 199 runs away from reaching the 8000-run mark in the longest format of the game. He will become the 33rd Test batter to reach the mark.
• Kohli has scored 1075 runs and hence stands 231 runs short of becoming India's second-highest run-getter in the rivalry contest, surpassing Rahul Dravid (1252 runs) and Virender Sehwag (1306 runs).

On Saturday, Ravichandran Ashwin dampened the fans' hopes as he posted a video of rainfall in Centurion. 

As the team gear up for the first match, the forecast is no different for today. As per the Centurion weather forecast, there is 60 percent chance of rain on the opening day but it is likely to get better as the day proceeds.

India have secured Test series victories in all countries bar South Africa, which adds to Virat Kohli and co's challenge as they prepare for the three-Test rubber. India's previous series in South Africa marked Kohli's rise as Test captain with India clinching a remarkable victory in the final match of the series in Johannesburg, even as the side lost 1-2.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the first day of India vs South Africa, 1st Test in Centurion. Virat Kohli's men will be aiming to continue on their impressive performances in whites, while the Proteas would aim to defend their unbeaten run against India in Tests.