Toss
Faf du Plessis won the toss and decided to bat first in the second Test against India at Centurion. Both captains had decided that batting first would be sensible, with the pitch lacking grass and the hot conditions.
Virat Kohli said Wriddhiman Saha had to sit out as he had a hamstring injury. Parthiv Patel replaced him. K.L Rahul, who came in for Shikhar Dhawan, is expected to open the batting with M Vijay. A surprise omission, though, was that of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The ball is not expected to swing as much and so, Ishant Sharma, who gets better bounce, was preferred.
South Africa's batsman Aiden Markram plays a shot on day 1 of the second cricket test against India at Centurion Park in Pretoria on Saturday. | Photo Credit: AP
South Africa made just one change, bringing in debutant fast bowler Lungi Ngidi for Dale Steyn who is out of the series.
Preview
The first Test in Cape Town witnessed only three actual days of play with the pacemen from both sides calling the shots on a juicy track.
Come Saturday and the second Test, India will take on South Africa on a surface with less grass and patches of brown, but one that should still offer pace and lift to the seamers. Curator Bryan Bloy believes there will be speed off the track, bounce and some seam movement here.