R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja strategize for first Test against South Africa-Watch

After winning their ODI series, Indian cricket will now play South Africa on December 26, 2023. The series was won 2-1 by the KL Rahul-led ODI side on Thursday. Major veterans like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah will return following the ODI World Cup; thus, the two-match Test series will be crucial.

3 things you need to know 

• India tied the T20I series against SA by 1-1 
• India beat South Africa in the 3rd ODI by 78 runs 
• India triumphed in the ODI series by 2-1

Also Read: Ishan Kishan's decision to opt out of SA Tests

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja prepare for the South Africa Test

Veteran Indian spin specialists Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were recently observed putting their all into practice ahead of the next Test series against South Africa. For the seasoned spin team, this is a momentous reunion and their first working together since the end of the 2023 World Cup campaign.

India has never won a Test series in South Africa before; therefore, this match is really important for the squad. The onus now shifts on these experienced spinners to bring variety and potency to the bowling attack with the untimely absence of fast bowler Mohammed Shami due to fitness concerns.

In the lead-up to the series, Ravichandran Ashwin posted an interesting video of the two spin gurus deep in conversation on his social media account. An exciting element of suspense was introduced into the team's preparations when Ashwin provocatively asked his followers to conjecture about the topic of their chat.

It's possible that Ravichandran Ashwin won't make the playing XI for the first Test match of the series because to the predicted lack of support for spin bowling at Centurion. This is similar to the way he was left out of the World Test Championship 2023 Final, where Australia defeated Rohit Sharma's Indian team with ease. The seasoned spinner is close to reaching a huge milestone—500 Test wickets—and is still optimistic of playing in both of the South African Test matches, despite these setbacks.

Following Ishan Kishan's absence and Ruturaj Gaikwad's injury, India made several alterations to their Test bowling lineup. Kishan was replaced by KS Bharat, while Abhimanyu Easwaran took over for the injured Gaikwad, highlighting the team's flexibility in dealing with unforeseen obstacles.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic emphasises on his 2023 season

India vs South Africa Test squad

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (Vice Captain), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wicket-keeper).