RSA VS IND Match Prediction 

1st Test, India tour of South Africa, 2023-24

Who Will Win Today's Match?

RSA Vs IND Match Prediction

RSA Vs IND Match Preview

India and South Africa are set to lock horns in the opening game of the two-match Test series, starting Tuesday, December 26. The SuperSport Park in Centurion will host the contest.

India have played 8 Test series in South Africa and are yet to win any series. Their best performance came in 2010 when they tied the series 1-1. Hence, Rohit Sharma’s men are in for a big challenge going into the upcoming red-ball series.
 

South Africa Preview

South Africa have a strong squad at their disposal. Tony de Zorzi was impressive in the ODI series and he would want to carry his form in the longer format. Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, and Keegan Petersen are expected to lend solidity to their batting.

There are doubts over the participation of Kagiso Rabada, who picked up a heel injury last week. If Rabada does not play, then Lungi Ngidi will have to shoulder a chunk of a workload for the Proteas. Keshav Maharaj remains their only specialist spin-bowling option.
 

South Africa - Who Will Be The Best Batter?

As per our betting odds, Dean Elgar is expected to be South Africa’s standout batter in the upcoming match. In 84 Tests, the southpaw has scored 5146 runs at an average of 37.28 with 13 hundreds and 23 fifties to his name.

Against India, the left-handed batter has racked up 811 runs from 13 matches at an average of 36.86 with a top score of 160 to his name. If Elgar gets his eyes in, it will be tough to breach his defense.
 

Top Batter Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Batter For South Africa

South Africa - Who Will Be The Best Bowler?

If Kagiso Rabada does not play, Lungi Ngidi has to shoulder South Africa’s pace attack. He has the skills to shine against the Indian pace attack. In 17 Tests, Ngidi has picked up 51 wickets at an economy rate of 3.08 with three five-wicket hauls to his name. 

Against India, Ngidi has taken 24 wickets from six matches with best figures of 12.2-3-39-6 back in January 2018 at the SuperSport Park.

Top Bowler Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Bowler For South Africa

India Preview

After trying and testing several of their upcoming players, India will have their big players back for the Test series. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will return after a break following the World Cup 2023 last month. Jasprit Bumrah is expected to lead the bowling attack along with Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.

Recently, Nathan Lyon became the second off-spinner to pick up 500 or more wickets in Test cricket. Ravi Ashwin has the chance to become the third in the upcoming series. Yashasvi Jaiswal played Tests on the West Indies tour and will look to establish himself further in the team.
 

India - Who Will Be The Best Batter?

As per our free cricket tips, Virat Kohli is expected to be the best batter in the upcoming game. In 14 Test matches against South Africa, the 35-year-old has racked up 1236 runs at an average of 56.18 and a strike-rate of 55.10 with three hundreds and four fifties to show for his efforts. 

In seven Tests on South African soil, Kohli has racked up 719 runs at an average of 51.35 with two hundreds and three half-centuries.
 

Top Batter Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Batter For India

India - Who Will Be The Best Bowler?

Jasprit Bumrah has been impressive in Test cricket against South Africa until now. The fast bowler has taken 26 wickets from six matches at an economy rate of 2.92 with two five-wicket hauls to his name.

The playing conditions are likely to favour Bumrah, who has been in brilliant form of late. Bumrah is also coming back after a break following the World Cup and it remains to be seen how he shapes up.
 

Top Bowler Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Bowler For India

RSA Vs IND - Who Will Be The Player Of The Match?

Dean Elgar has the ability to play long innings and he can be a thorn in the flesh for the Indian team in the upcoming games. Playing in home conditions, Elgar will be looking to make the chance count and get a formidable score under his belt. 

Elgar will open the batting and need to survive the initial bursts from the likes of Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who are both lethal in red-ball cricket.

RSA Vs IND - Who Will Win Today's Toss?

As per today’s toss prediction, teams should opt to bat first after winning the toss. The pitch is going to get tougher for batting as is the case with most tracks around the world. Both India and South Africa have some quality bowlers and can defend scores in the fourth innings.
 

RSA Vs IND Venue, Pitch and Weather Report

25 out of 28 Tests at the SuperSport Park have produced a result and the upcoming match is expected to be no different. The run rate at the venue is 3.34, which means that batters will get ample opportunities to score runs. 

Fast bowlers are most likely to generate extra bounce and create trouble for the batters.
There is a chance of heavy rain on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 4 of the Test matches. It should not be surprising if the match gets delayed due to the inclement weather. Temperatures will be around the 27-degree Celsius mark.