South Africa will take on India in a two-Test series kicking off on Boxing Day from Centurion. We have you covered with a preview and betting tips for the clash below.
South Africa vs India 1st Test Betting Tips
Centurion, Monday 26th December, 7.00pm (AEDT)
South Africa
While the South African batting line-up has been a revolving door of players over the last few years, one thing that has remained constant is their dynamic pace bowling attack. Regardless of who they put in the top six, they always have a chance to win at home if the likes of Rabada, Ngidi, Jansen and new kid on the block, Gerald Coetzee are in the team. They’ll all likely line-up for the first test, flanked by spinner Keshav Maharaj to make up a lethal five pronged attack.
Batting is the issue here, as it has been for the South African Test outfit since the retirement of the past generation of greats. Temba Bavuma will skipper the side and will likely be joined in the top six by Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Tony de Zorzi and Kyle Verreynne.
Predicted XI: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
India
The Indians will no doubt still be reeling from their heartbreaking loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup, but the majority of the squad will need to put that behind them as they look to avenge their 2-1 Test series loss in South Africa back in the 2021-22 season.
India hasn’t played a Test match since they lost the World Test Championship, also to Australia, last year. There has been some turnover in the squad during that period, with stalwarts Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara being left out of the touring side to South Africa. In their place is likely to be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer, while the bowling unit will remain largely intact.
Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar
Betting Tips
When you break down these two teams on paper, it’s actually incredible how similar they are. Both have the ability to play an extra bowler for the fact that they possess arguably the two best all-rounders in the world at No.7 in Ravi Jadeja and Marco Jansen respectively.
India probably have a slightly better batting line-up on paper, but the fact that there has been quite a bit of turnover in the top six from their last Test, combined with the fact that they are away from home here, probably brings it back to level pegging with SA in that regard.
Where South Africa have the upper hand is no doubt their pace bowling unit. Rabada and Ngidi are world class, Jansen might be already better than them both at just 23 years old, and Gerald Coetzee was arguably the standout player of the ODI World Cup a few months ago.
I think that advantage is the biggest of this series, and the curators of both Centurion and Cape Town will no doubt play into their teams ability to extract extra pace and bounce. Back South Africa to win their third straight Test against India.
South Africa to win
$2.85
