India vs South Africa Live Score Updates, 1st Test: IND vs SA, India’s Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer are playing in a 50+ run partnership and after losing some early wickets, the team is getting back in the game. South African pacers got some early success at Centurion, but as the conditions changed, they were struggling with their length.
India’s top order is collapsing under pace pressure as South African seamer Nandre Burger dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli are struggling against the extreme pace to stabilise Indian innings.
Big jolt for India as pacer Kagiso Rabada dismisses Indian skipper Rohit Sharma early and South Africa knows that’s it is a big wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are on the crease working on a partnership.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are opening the batting for India at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion. IND have opted to go with a 4-pacer,1-spinner combination in Centurion meaning that Ravichandran Ashwin will be batting at number 8 position.
Returning from a long hiatus after the ODI World Cup final, Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team during the 1st test match against South Africa at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion today.
Rohit-led India will face a formidable challenge against the Proteas who are now back at full strength and led by regular skipper Temba Bavuma. However, the Indian side will still fancy their chances against the Proteas with the return of many veterans in the team including Rohit Sharma, former captain Virat Kohli and pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
The Indian team are also missing many key players from the series including pacer Mohammed Shami who has been ruled out owing to an ankle injury, wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan who has asked to be released from the series and Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been ruled out with a finger injury.
Moreover, many Indian players will be thoroughly tested in South Africa, including young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hasn’t been a regular part of the Test side, and players like Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who have yet to prove their mettle in seaming and swinging conditions outside India.
India and South Africa squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran (2nd Test).
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Nandre Burger, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, David Bedingham.
When, where and how to watch the 1st Test match?
The key clash between India and South Africa will kick off on December 26 at 13:30 hrs and will continue till December 30. The live stream of the key match will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. The match can also be watched live on Star Sports.
India vs South Africa Live Score Updates, 1st Test: Key Highlights
1. South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl first
2. Team India openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal walked to the crease
3. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada provided his team with first breakthrough as he dismissed Rohit Sharma
4. Yashasvi Jaiswal were looking in good shape, but Nandre Burger dismissed him soon
5. Burger striked again and this time he took out young batter Shubman Gill
6. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer stabilised the innings and are playing in a 50+ runs partnership
7. Lunch Break: India 91/3 after 26 overs
India vs South Africa Live: What all happened in the first session?
India vs South Africa Live: In case you just joined that fun, let us give you a recap of what all happened in session 1 of India vs South Africa 1st Test match. South African skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl first. The decision turned right as South African pacers got amazing bounce on the pitch of Centurion. Kagiso Rabada striked first as he dismissed Rohit Sharma.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who played some wonderful shots went back to pavilion soon as debutant Nandre Burger clinched his first Test wicket. Soon, Burger struck again and this time young Shubman Gill was dismissed.
Virat Kohli again found himself around chaos and playing his natural game, the batter continued to keep pressure on the South African bowlers. Shreyas Iyer complemented Kohli well and soon the tension was visible on the faces of South African bowlers. By the end of session, India is in a better spot and both Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer will look to play for as long as possible.
India vs South Africa Live: India’s turbulent first session
India vs South Africa Live: Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer’s collective efforts have successfully prevented any further wicket losses for India during the initial session. This implies that, despite the setback of losing three wickets early on, India has managed to gain an advantageous position in the first session.
India vs South Africa Live: Lunch Break
India vs South Africa Live: India scored 91/3 after 26 overs and the players are walking back to the pavilion for lunch. South Africa got some early lead in the first session as India’s top order collapsed, but Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer played a really good partnership to bring India back in the game.
India vs South Africa Live: Massive SIX from Shreyas Iyer
India vs South Africa Live: Shreyas Iyer continues his aggressive form of cricket as he slammed a wonderful SIX against Gerald Coetzee. It was a fuller delivery on the pads and Iyer just flicked it to smash it out of the ground. India is recovering well and South Africa is looking in some tension.
India vs South Africa Live: 50+ run partnership
India vs South Africa Live: From 24/3 to 75/3 is a jouney that the partnership between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer covered under extreme pressure from the pace. The duo needs to play a strong innings to take India towards a high score and this can create pressure on South Africa.
Virat Kohli 29
Shreyas Iyer 31
India vs South Africa Live: India score 72/3 in 22 overs
India vs South Africa Live: A good partnership is emerging between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer as conditions also change to help the batters. South African fielders continue to drop catches providing India with more more lifelines to go towards a high score. South African pacers are targeting the pads of the batter and they desperately chase wickets.
Virat Kohli 24
Shreyas Iyer 22
India vs South Africa Live: Temba Bavuma injured
India vs South Africa Live: South African skipper Temba Bavuma gave some extra effort to save some runs for his team and it seems he has hurt his hamstring in the process. Bavuma looked in some pain on the field and decided to go back to the dugout with the medical team. Aiden Markram is in command for South Africa now.
India vs South Africa Live: India’s disappointing record in South Africa
India vs South Africa Live: The batting performance of India has been notably subpar in South Africa, and their spin bowlers seldom make a significant impression in these particular circumstances. Furthermore, as a collective unit, they have never emerged victorious in a Test series in South Africa. Over the period spanning from 1996, the team from India has engaged in 23 Test matches in South Africa, securing victories in a mere 4 instances and never managing to clinch a series more than once.
India vs South Africa Live: South African pacers continue to impress
India vs South Africa Live: Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee didn’t got any wickets so far, but have delivered some of the most dangerous deliveries against the best Indian batters. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer are looking somewhat settled on crease now and their batting is looking in more control.
India vs South Africa Live: India score 54/3 in 16.3 overs
India vs South Africa Live: Virat Kohli is displaying his exceptional batting skills and his shot selection today are showcasing the legacy he carries. Shreyas Iyer is also looking to play more attackingly and slammed couple to beautiful boundaries to ease off some pressure from India. South African pacers continue to look for wickets as they know the threat the current batting duo possess.
Virat Kohli 15
Shreyas Iyer 12
India vs South Africa Live: South Africa’s fielding blunders
India vs South Africa Live: The South African team is known for their exceptional fielding skills in every format of the game. But, today the players are not looking that motivated to defend the ball and dropped two simple catches. India batters are still struggling against the pace as South African introuces Gerald Coetzee in the form of third pacer
Virat Kohli 11
Shreyas Iyer 9
India vs South Africa Live: Nandre Burger’s dream debut
India vs South Africa Live: Young South African pacer Nandre Burger, who is playing in his Test match today is having a dream run has he already clinched two wickets in less than 4 overs he bowled. He is still finding the best length on the pitch and then he will be more dangerous against India.
India vs South Africa Live: The pitch conditions are changing
India vs South Africa Live: As the sun shines over the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion, some change is also visible on the conditions of the pitch. The Indian batters are also opening their arms and slamming some boundaries to release pressure.
India vs South Africa Live: Wicket!!! Shubman Gill OUT
India vs South Africa Live: The trouble for India continues as Nandre Burger clinches another wicket in form of Shubman Gill. India is already into its middle order as South African pacers continue their dangerous bouncers. Shreyas Iyer is the new batter on the crease.
India vs South Africa Live: Shubman-Virat attempt to stabilise innings
India vs South Africa Live: India’s two best batters- Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli are on the crease and that the most apt players to build a partnership from here and pull out India from a threat of low score finish. India’s still has some good batting depth, but the collapse of the top order doesn’t go very well for the psyche of middle order.
India vs South Africa Live: Wicket!!! Yashasvi Jaiswal OUT
India vs South Africa Live: Another wicket for South Africa as India loses both openers very early in the game. Nandre Burger dismissed young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was looking very dangerous today. Virat Kohli is the new batter on crease and the stadium is up on its feet in respect for the great batter.
India vs South Africa Live: India scores 23/1 in 9 overs
India vs South Africa Live: Kagiso Rabada continues to dominate with his pace as Indian batters save themselves from getting injured. Shubman Gill faced a tight punch as Rabada gets wonderful pace on the pitch of Centurion. Indian batters are up for some courageous innings today as South African pacers capitalizes on the conditions.
India vs South Africa Live: Yashasvi Jaiswal looks lethal
India vs South Africa Live: Young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal doesn’t seem to care about the dangerous swings as he continues to play his game and slammed another wonderful FOUR. After losing skipper Rohit Sharma early, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have big responsibility to hold their ground and take India to a high score
India vs South Africa Live: IND at 17/1 after 6
India vs South Africa Live: Marco Jansen continues to bowl at the other end, making things difficult for Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal gets lucky with the last ball of the over, trying to play a ball he should have left and edges it. The ball goes between the slips on the boundary line for a four.
Yashasvi 12 (22)
Gill 0 (0)
India vs South Africa Live: Rohit OUT on 5
India vs South Africa Live: Kagiso Rabada takes the wicket of the Indian captain who departs on a score of 5. Rohit tries to hit a shorter delivery only to hit it straight into the hands of Nandre Burger. Rohit tries to keep the ball down probably for a single but to no avail.
India vs South Africa Live: IND at 9/0 after 3 overs
India vs South Africa Live: The first few overs of the match have seen inconsistent line and length from the South African bowling pair of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen. Yashasvi opened the scoring rate for India, hitting a ball on his legs for a boundary on the on side and Rohit followed suit in the ensuing overs.
Rohit 5 (8)
Jaiswal 4 (11)
India vs South Africa Live: Live action begins
India vs South Africa Live: Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal have opened the batting for India while Kagiso Rabada leads the charge for South Africa at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion.
India vs South Africa Live: South Africa playing XI for today
India vs South Africa Live: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
India vs South Africa Live: IND playing XI for today
India vs South Africa Live: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
India vs South Africa Live: India to bat first
India vs South Africa Live: Temba Bavuma won the toss and decided to bat first at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion. Rohit Sharma said he wasn’t too sure about what to opt for and that it was probably better to lose the toss.
India vs South Africa Live: Toss in 15 minutes, Prasidh to make debut
India vs South Africa Live: The inspection has been held by the Umpries at Centurion and the current update is that toss will be held at 1:45 pm IST. Interestingly, Indian team management have opted for Prasidh Krishna as the third pacer instead of Mukesh Kumar who has been in good form in the white ball segment of this tour.
India vs South Africa Live: ‘wet patches on the outfield’ BCCI explains reason for toss delay
India vs South Africa Live: Informing about the toss delay in a post on X, BCCI said, “The toss and start of the 1st Test between South Africa and India have been delayed due to wet patches on the outfield. Further inspection at 10:00 AM (1.30 PM IST)”
India vs South Africa Live: Will Rohit Sharma captain in upcoming T20 World Cup? ‘Jawab milega’ says skipper
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking to Star Sports, Rohit said, “Desperation is to play cricket, everyone wants to do well and play all the games. Everyone will get their chance…”
“I know what you want to say and you will get to know everything very soon” the Indian skipper added.
India vs South Africa Live: Toss delayed due to bad weather
India vs South Africa Live: Toss has been delayed in Centurion owing to a wet outfield and overcast conditions. The next inspection is slated to be held at 1:30 pm by which time there should be more clarity around the time that may be lost due to bad weather conditions on Day 1.
India vs South Africa Live: Temba Bavuma is high praises Indian bowling attack
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Bavuma said, “We understand conditions a lot better so you’d expect us to adapt a lot better but their bowling is quite strong. The fact that they’ve been able to achieve such success is because of their bowling attack and that kind of nullifies the advantage we have. It’s more between the batters and how the batters take on that challenge,”
India vs South Africa Live: ‘Quite pleasing’, Rohit Sharma on Rahul’s wicketkeeping skills
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rohit said, “Look every cricketer needs to go through some kind of transformation in their career, hardly few players, who start at one position and play throughout in that position, KL is one of them.
“The way he (Rahul) kept in World Cup, it was quite pleasing. He is really working hard and he himself is quite keen to take up that role, so it gives us an option to play a solid batter at either No 5, 6 or 7,” the Indian skipper added.
India vs South Africa Live: Will Rohit open in the 1st test match? Aakash Chopra opines
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking on his JioCinema show, Aakash Chopra said, “I feel Yashasvi Jaiswal will open with Rohit Sharma. There is a small caveat here. We have not seen Rohit open the innings in Tests in South Africa. It’s the same place where his average plummets. Yashasvi is yet to play a Test here,”
“Shubman Gill is likely to play at No. 3. At No. 4, we’ll have Virat Kohli, who has been the shining star. KL Rahul will be up next followed by Shreyas Iyer. Rahul played well here last time and I see him keeping wickets this time,” the former Indian opener noted.
India vs South Africa Live: Will Shardul Thakur play? Harbhajan Singh opines
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said, “The biggest debate is whether Shardul should play or Ashwin, this topic became a heated discussion during the World Test Championship. The conditions there were different because the ball seams on Day 1 so I feel Shardul was the right choice according to those conditions. There was a lot of grass on the wicket, even though he couldn’t make an impact I feel the decision was right,”
India vs South Africa Live: Will rain play spoilsport on Day 1?
India vs South Africa Live: According to Accuweather forecast, there is a 96% chance of rain and 38% chance of thunderstorms during the day in Centurion. The current forecast indicates that atleast some part of the day’s place will be affected by the rains.
India vs South Africa Live: ‘Shami will be missed big time…’ former India player opines on 3rd seamer debate
India vs South Africa Live: In a post on X, former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer said, “Shami will be missed big time in SA Tests, but it’s a great opportunity for Prasidh & Mukesh to show that they’re the future of Indian fast bowling. Can’t ask for a better place to bowl than South Africa. Who are you picking as the third seamer between these two?,”
India vs South Africa Live: Gautam Gambhir’s advice for Yashasvi Jaiswal
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking to Star Sports, Gambhir said, “Extremely different challenge, pace attack and situations because the West Indies have subcontinental-type wickets. Here, when you will play Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi or Nandre Burger, there will be bounce. Yashasvi Jaiswal has the game, both front and back foot, but it will be a very different challenge. I believe he will get better with this experience. Don’t expect too much, that a young player will come and score a century or a double century in the first match,”
India vs South Africa Live: Prasidh Krishna or Mukesh Kumar; Who should be India’s third seamer today? Gavaskar answers
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking to Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar said, “I am not sure about Prasidh Krishna. He has come back from an injury. If he is required to bowl 15-20 overs in the day, I am not sure if he will be able to do that. I hope he proves me wrong because if anybody proves me wrong, that means India are doing well and if India are doing well, I am very happy. I believe Bumrah and Siraj pick themselves because of the way they have bowled over the last year and a half with the white ball and the red ball. So my opening bowlers would be them,”
India vs South Africa Live: Shami will be a big miss for us, says Rohit Sharma
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking at the pre match press conference, Rohit said, “Our seamers have earned that respect, because of how they perform in overseas conditions. For the last five to seven years, they have done well in Australia, England and South Africa. Even in South Africa, we won the first Test last year but came close in the next two matches. They have pulled their weight in and given us what we expect from them. Shami will be a big miss, his experience and what he has done for our team over the years. Someone will come to fill his place, it is not going to be easy, but we have a lot of confidence in whoever takes his place,”
India vs South Africa Live: Where should Ravichandran Ashwin bat? Harbhajan Singh explains
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said, “According to me Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open. Shubman Gill would come in at number three and the fourth spot will be for Virat Kohli. The fifth and sixth spots belong to Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul respectively. For number seven Ravindra Jadeja but the biggest question comes at number 8 with Ashwin and Shardul available. I feel Ashwin should play at number 8 because you have Jasprit Bumrah for number 9, Siraj for 10 and Prasidh Krishna for 1,”
“But here I feel the conditions will be hot, the pitch will be hard, the bounce will be there and you have three pacers so I think India should go with two spinners. I feel South Africa would love to place pace so I think you should play on your strength I feel Ashwin should play but I don’t see that happening,” the former cricketer added.
India vs South Africa Live: Why did Virat Kohli leave India camp ahead of 1st test match? BCCI sources reveal
India vs South Africa Live: In a major relief for Team India, star batter Virat Kohli has rejoined that Indian squad ahead of the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion. Earlier, it was reported that Virat Kohli had to leave South Africa due to some emergency, but the BCCI sources have revealed that Kohli was on a pre-planned London trip and is back in South Africa.
“Virat Kohli wasn’t going to play that game. The team management was aware of his plan and schedule, and it isn’t something that happened overnight or due to a family emergency. Look at the player in question, it’s Virat Kohli. He is very well planned when it comes to these things and his London trip was communicated and planned well in advance,” a BCCI official told news platform News18.
“Kohli left India for South Africa on December 15. Had good 3-4 training sessions before he went to London on December 19. For the next few days, he was in London and has now linked up with the Test squad and will in all likelihood train in Centurion tomorrow,” the official added.
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India vs South Africa Live: Sunil Gavaskar’s India playing XI for today
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking to Star Sports, the former Indian batting maestro said, “My playing XI is gonna be very simple. The openers will be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma – the captain. No.3 Shubman Gill, No.4 – Kohli, No. 5 KL Rahul, and No.6 Shreyas Iyer. 5 and 6 can move, and after that will be Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin,”
“Then I’ll have three fast bowlers – Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj,” Gavaskar added.
India vs South Africa Live: Rohit wants to achieve what no other team has
India vs South Africa Live: Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rohit Sharma said, “These are very important matches in terms of where we stand as a team. Also to look back that we have never won a series here as well, it’s a big opportunity for us to do well here,”
“We came pretty close the last two times when we toured here but again we have come to this place with lot of confidence to try and achieve what nobody (Indian) team has ever achieved in this part of the world,” the Indian skipper added.
India vs South Africa Live: When and where to watch the match?
India vs South Africa Live: The key clash between India and South Africa will kick off on December 26 at 13:30 hrs and will continue till December 30. The live stream of the key match will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. The match can also be watched live on Star Sports.
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India vs South Africa Live: IND captains who couldn’t win in SA
India vs South Africa Live: India has toured South Africa 9 times in the last 31 years and hasn’t managed to win a series in the SENA country. Indian captains who have failed to lead their team to series victory in South Africa include Mohammed Azharuddin (1992), Sachin Tendulkar (1996), Sourav Ganguly (2001), Rahul Dravid (2006-07), Dhoni (2010-11 and 2013-14), Virat Kohli (2018-19 and 2021-22).
India vs South Africa Live: It’s time to get result, says Rohit
India vs South Africa Live: In a pre-match press conference, Rohit Sharma said, “I don’t know whether a Test series win in South Africa can be a balm for a World Cup final defeat. I mean World Cup is World Cup. Itni mehnaat ki haai, kuch toh result milein. (We have been working so hard, it’s time we get some big result). We all want that,”
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