IND vs SA 1st Test Head-to-Head: Check date, time, venue, probable playing XI, weather and pitch report

Centurion, South Africa

IND vs SA 1st Test: India will lock horns with South Africa in the 1st Test match, marking the beginning of Freedom Trophy 2023-24. 

Here's everything you need to know about the India vs South Africa 1st Test match:

IND vs SA 1st Test Match Details

Date: December 26-30

Time: 01:30 pm IST

Venue: SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium, Centurion, South Africa

Live Streaming App: Disney+Hotstar

IND vs SA 1st Test Head-to-Head

India has never won a Test series in South Africa. The two cricketing giants have squared off in 42 Test matches, of which India won 15 while South Africa won 17. However, the Men in Blue have never secured a win in a Test series on South African soil. In their previous tour to South Africa in 2021-22, India faced defeat by 2-1 in the Test series.

IND vs SA 1st Test Probable Playing XI

India Predicted XI:

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

South Africa Predicted XI:

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Keegan Peterson, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

IND vs SA 1st Test Weather Report

According to AccuWeather, rain might spoil the first two days of the first Test in Centurion. The rain might not stop entirely over the next three days, indicating that almost all five days of the Test match are likely to be affected by rain. 

On the first day, there is a 96 per cent chance of rain. It might rain consistently in Centurion on December 26. By the afternoon, the intensity of the rain may decrease but might reduce enough for the match to begin. Therefore, there are only a few hours of play on the opening day.

IND vs SA 1st Test Pitch Report

Centurion's SuperSport Park provides favourable conditions for pace bowlers in red-ball cricket. The pitch curator has confirmed that both teams can expect a conducive pitch to pace bowling from Day 1. India's head coach, Rahul Dravid, has also acknowledged the presence of extra bounce and seam for the bowlers. 

Pacers have always been dominant at SuperSport Park, and both teams will utilise this option in their bowling attack in the Boxing Day Test. However, as the ball gets older, the batters are also expected to score big runs. Due to predicted rain for the first two days, seamers may get more assistance from the surface's moisture from Day 3.

(With inputs from agencies)