Graeme Smith reveals two key players ahead of India vs South Africa Test series

Former South African skipper Graeme Smith has reckoned that Jasprit Bumrah and Kagiso Rabada would play a crucial role in the two-match Test series between India and South Africa, which is starting on Friday, November 14, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Speaking at an event, Smith stated that the South African team should be wary of the Indian ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s dominance on the black soil surface at the Eden Gardens. He also believes that Rabada will play a pivotal role for South Africa in taking important wickets early in the innings.

“It’s never at the forefront of people’s conversation when you play cricket in the subcontinent. But getting off to a solid start, having a top three that can lay a platform for you, there's nothing worse than if you go two or three down and then the spinners come on and you’re against the game already,” Smith said.

“So countering Bumrah up front is going to be a big thing, and Rabada as well for India. They're world-class bowlers with world-class Test records,” he added.

“This is a big challenge for KG coming to the subcontinent. He's definitely the leader of the attack, and how he can set the tone with that new ball is going to be important for Temba (Bavuma) and the team,” Smith stated.

India's Test squad for South Africa series: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.

South Africa's Test squad for India series: Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram (VC), Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (WK), Zubayr Hamza, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj.

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