Rishabh Pant was named India’s 38th Test captain after regular skipper Shubman Gill was sidelined by a neck ailment. Pant is now India’s fourth captain in the last 12 months.
But that did not change India’s luck with the toss as South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bat against India in the second Test at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday.
South Africa have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series after winning the first Test in Kolkata by 30 runs.
Guwahati became India’s 30th Test venue as this is the first time a Test match is being played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
Earlier this year, Guwahati, sometimes referred to as the “Gateway to the Northeast” and the only international cricket stadium in the area, hosted ICC World Cup matches for the first time.
India made two changes with the injured Shubman Gill replaced by Sai Sudharsan, and Nitish Reddy coming in for Axar Patel.
Senuran Muthusamy has replaced Corbin Bosch in the Proteas’ starting lineup as the only change.
On leading India for the first time, Pant said at the toss, “Definitely a proud moment. As a cricketer, you always aspire to lead your country. And I’m thankful to the BCCI for giving me this opportunity. Didn’t think about it, but at the same time, you want to grab it with both hands and do the best for the team.”
India XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (wk/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj
