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The 2-Test series between India and South Africa is going to start from 14th November. The first match will be played at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata, where apart from the spinners, the fast bowlers will also get the help of reverse swing. In such a situation, South African fast bowlers can also increase the problems of Team India.
Rabada will also get the support of off-spinner Simon Harmer, who has taken 1000 first class wickets, and left arm spinner Keshav Maharaj in the team. Although 8 players of the squad will play Test for the first time in India, but the experience of captain Temba Bavuma and opener Aiden Markram in batting is also there to support them. Under the captaincy of Bavuma, South Africa has not lost any test till date.
5 players from South Africa, who can increase India’s problems…
1. Kagiso Rabada
bother with speed and bounce
30 year old Kagiso Rabada will lead the pace bowling attack of South Africa. No one has taken more wickets for South Africa in the last 15 years than him. He has 340 wickets in his name in 73 matches, his bowling average is only 22.03. That means they take one wicket for every 22 runs.
In Asian conditions, Rabada takes one wicket for every 28 runs. This is his third tour to India, so far he has been able to take only 9 wickets in 6 tests. With the new ball, Rabada will get the support of Marco Janson. If conditions permit, both the bowlers have the power to send the Indian top order to the pavilion with the new ball.
2. Keshav Maharaj
Team’s top wicket taker in Asia
South Africa’s lead spinner Keshav Maharaj will also be seen playing Test in India after 6 years. In 2019, he took 6 wickets in 3 innings. He is also the top wicket taker of the current team in Asia. Maharaj has 54 wickets in his name in 9 tests. They take one wicket after giving every 30 runs.
Maharaj’s left arm spin can increase the problems for India’s right-handed batsmen. Team India has strong right handers like KL Rahul, captain Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel. If spin-friendly pitches are available in Kolkata and Guwahati, then Maharaj can create problems for left-handed batsmen as well. He has taken 5 wickets in an innings 12 times in his career and has the ability to get the team out of difficult situations with batting also.
3. Simon Harmer
1000 wickets in first class cricket
Off-spinner Simon Harmer returned to international cricket for South Africa in 2022 after the Kolpak deal ended. Till 2023, he got a chance in only 5 matches, but on the basis of his performance in 2025, the team won the Test in Pakistan. 20 days ago in the Rawalpindi Test, he took 8 wickets and led the team to victory and drew the series 1-1.
Harmer played 2 Tests in India on the 2015 tour. Then he took 10 wickets at an average of just 25.40. In 2017, for better career options, he went to England and started playing county cricket for Essex. Where he remained the top wicket taker of the county till 2021. He also has the record of taking 1000 wickets in first class cricket.
The 36-year-old Harmer’s experience could trouble India’s left-handed batsmen. The team has lefty batsmen like Yashasvi Jaiswas, Sai Sudarshan, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
4. Aiden Markram
Scored a century in the WTC final
After the retirement of Dean Elgar, the responsibility of giving a strong start to South Africa fell on the shoulders of Aiden Markram. The 31-year-old right-handed opener made the team champion by scoring a century against Australia in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) this year.
Markram also has the experience of scoring a century in Asian conditions, but his average in these conditions is only 24.57. Even in India, Markram has only 44 Test runs in his name at an average of 11. However, he played Tests in India during 2019. In 6 years, he has strengthened himself and can give a strong start to South Africa.
5. Temba Bavuma
South Africa made test champion
In 2025, South Africa won the ICC WTC title by defeating a strong team like Australia at The Lord’s Stadium. Then Temba Bavuma was the captain of the team. Under his captaincy, South Africa has not lost a single Test series. Even the team has won 9 out of 10 matches, while one match was a draw.
It was Bavuma who made the match-winning century partnership with Markram in the WTC final. In Asian conditions he scores runs at an average of more than 43. However, he could not score a single fifty on the last two tours in India. He faces the challenge of improving his batting record in India.
8 players will play test in India for the first time
South Africa is dreaming of winning the Test series in India after 25 years on the basis of its 5 experienced players. There are also 8 players in the team who will play Test in Indian conditions for the first time. These include Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tony DeGeorge, Dewald Brewis, Tristan Stubbs, wicketkeeper Kyle Verne, Marco Janson and Corbin Bosch.
Spinner Senuram Muthusamy and batsman Zubair Hamza definitely have experience of playing in India, but both the players could not leave much of an impact in Asian conditions. On the other hand, Team India will play a Test series against a top-5 ranked team in home conditions for the first time after losing 3-0 against New Zealand.
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World Test champion South Africa is on a tour of India, where it has to play a two-Test series. This tour will not be easy for the African team, because it has not been able to win a single Test match in India for 15 years. However, South Africa has not lost a single series since winning the World Test Championship (WTC) in June 2025. Read the full news…
