IND vs SA: 3 Player battles to watch out for in the first Test

The first Test between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens promises traditional tussles of explosive batting against probing seam, and wrist-spin guile versus audacious young hitters. Here are three individual matchups that could tilt the opener.

1. Rishabh Pant vs Keshav Maharaj

Pant’s return to India’s Test squad after showing fitness in India A’s warm-ups is one of the series’ headline stories. When he times the ball, he can change sessions in a single session. Maharaj, South Africa’s veteran left-arm spinner, has a long history of tying up batters and extracting soft dismissals through tight lines and subtle flight. 

Pant’s game is built on counter-attacking instincts, while Maharaj’s strength is stifling rhythm and forcing risky shots. Expect Maharaj to test Pant early with flatter, longer spells, and for Pant to look for the sweep and the reverse-sweep once he has his eye in. 

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Kagiso Rabada

Opening battles in the first hour will matter more than any highlight. Jaiswal has been in red-ball form domestically and across the WTC cycle. His ability to bat long and rotate strike is India’s best answer to early movement. Rabada remains South Africa’s strike option with high pace, late swing and bouncers that force false shots. 

The dynamic is simple: if Jaiswal survives Rabada’s early bursts and blunts the new ball, India will be positioned to take control while if Rabada can strike early or nudge Jaiswal into a rash shot, South Africa can seize the initiative. 

3. Dewald Brevis vs Kuldeep Yadav

Brevis is the young batter who brings timing and improvisation. His domestic and early international displays show he can punish anything loose. Kuldeep, India’s wrist-spinner, is at his most dangerous when he gets flight and plays the stump as a target. 

He’s picked key wickets in recent home Tests and has a bag of variations that can bamboozle power-hitters. This is a classic wrist-spinner vs natural hitter duel where Brevis will look to dominate Kuldeep early and free the shackles of South Africa’s middle order, while Kuldeep will try to induce false drives and use the wrong’un to sneak through pads or around the bat.

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