South Africa have won the toss and elected to bat in the second Test against India at Centurion.
The Proteas beat India this past Monday at Newlands to take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series. The hosts need one more win to clinch the rubber.
The Proteas have made one injury-enforced change. Lungi Ngidi comes in for Dale Steyn, who has been ruled out for four to six weeks due to a heel injury.
Ngidi will be making his Test debut for South Africa on his home ground at Centurion. His inclusion sees the Proteas retaining five bowling options (four of them seamers).
‘It’s usually very slow here on day one, but speeds up later in the contest. There are usually a few cracks around on days four and five,’ said Du Plessis at the toss.
India skipper Virat Kohli said that it was a ‘no-brainer’ to bat first and that he would have done the same had he won the toss.
India have made three changes in the wake of the defeat at Newlands. Parthiv Patel replaces wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who has a hamstring injury. Fast bowler Ishant Sharma is preferred to Bhuvneshwar Kumar on this wicket, while Lokesh Rahul comes in for Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order.
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South Africa – 1. Dean Elgar, 2. Aiden Markram, 3. Hashim Amla, 4. Faf du Plessis (c), 5. AB de Villiers, 6.Quinton de Kock (wk), 7. Vernon Philander, 8. Keshav Maharaj. 9. Kagiso Rabada. 10 Morne Morkel, 11. Lungi Ngidi.
India – 1. Lokesh Rahul, 2. Murali Vijay, 3. Cheteshwar Pujara, 4. Virat Kohli (c), 5. Rohit Sharma. 6. Parthiv Patel (wk). 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Ravichandran Ashwin, 9. Ishant Sharma. 10. Mohammed Shami. 11. Jasprit Bumrah
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images