India's tour of South Africa is only a couple of days away but the anticipation and excitement surrounding the Test series, slated to begin on December 26, has been sky-high since the announcement of the tour schedule. Moreover, the fact that India has never won a Test series in the Africa nation has only added to the chatter.
However, this series could be India's best chance yet to get that monkey off the back. India are without their mainstay openers in Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill but the Virat Kohli-led side still shapes up to be a very strong side. On the other hand, the Proteas are also suffering from a string of injuries, including a "persistent injury" to the pace-machine Anrich Nortje. One can only imagine the havoc we would have created for the India batter on those seam-friendly tracks.
So, before the ball gets rolling, let's take a look at three key players that you must watch out for:
1) VIRAT KOHLI In every series he plays, Kohli is always one of the players to watch out for. However, more eyes will be on the 33-year-old following the white-ball captaincy fiasco. In addition, he is long due for a century in international; a period extending to a little over 2 years, to be precise. In SA, he's played 10 Tests in the past, scoring 558 runs at an average of 55.80. His feat included two centuries and fifties each.
2) R ASHWIN The senior India off-spinner is now the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests for the nation. Hence, and quite naturally so, he is another player who grabs the spotlight. However, viewers and pundits will pay a closer look to the Tamil Nadu bowler as he will lead the spin attack in this series. With Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja missing the tour due to injuries, the focus will solely be on Ashwin. Until a couple of months back, Ashwin was made to sit out as the team preferred Jadeja over him. But as luck would have it, India have no choice but to play Ashwin. And that of course, is great news. Ashwin is yet to impress in SA as he only has 7 wickets to his name in 3 Tests.
{{/usCountry}}2) R ASHWIN The senior India off-spinner is now the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests for the nation. Hence, and quite naturally so, he is another player who grabs the spotlight. However, viewers and pundits will pay a closer look to the Tamil Nadu bowler as he will lead the spin attack in this series. With Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja missing the tour due to injuries, the focus will solely be on Ashwin. Until a couple of months back, Ashwin was made to sit out as the team preferred Jadeja over him. But as luck would have it, India have no choice but to play Ashwin. And that of course, is great news. Ashwin is yet to impress in SA as he only has 7 wickets to his name in 3 Tests.
{{/usCountry}}3) KL RAHUL The kind of year KL Rahul is having with the bat, he, without a shred of a doubt, becomes a player to watch out for. After scoring 315 runs in 4 Tests against England, becoming India's second-highest run-getter in the series, Rahul smashed 626 runs in IPL 2021 and then finished as the highest run-scorer for India in the T20 World Cup at 194. He missed the New Zealand Test series due to a niggle but is back with the team now. Moreover, with Gill and Rohit missing, he is likely to get that second opening spot alongside Mayank Agarwal. The true nature of the pitches will also suit his games as the Karnataka batter is at his best when the ball comes onto the bat. He would look to better his record in South Africa, which currently reads 30 runs in 2 matches.