India vs South Africa 2021: 3 key milestones Indian players can reach
Some of the Team India regulars in Tests can reach a few milestones when they take on South Africa in the upcoming series. The three-match series is scheduled to start on Sunday (December 26) at the Centurion.
India registered a 1-0 win in their two-match home series against New Zealand earlier this month. They have now landed on South African shores where they're yet to win a Test series to date. The loss of Rohit Sharma due to injury just makes it that much harder for the side as they stake their claim.
The Test side have the likes of in-form Mayank Agarwal, a solid KL Rahul and captain Virat Kohli. They will look to contribute to a chunk of the runs in grueling South African conditions.
And on that note, we take a look at three players who can achieve some major milestones in the upcoming Test.
#1 Mohammed Shami needs 5 wickets to reach 200 Test scalps
Mohammed Shami is one of India's most experienced pacers in the setup. He has grabbed 195 wickets from 54 matches at an average of 27.57.
He is five wickets short of reaching the 200 wickets mark and will be the 11th Indian bowler to do so if he gets those five scalps.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin needs 8 wickets to whiz past former India allrounder Kapil Dev in Tests
Ravichandran Ashwin has been India's impact bowler for a long time now, especially in Test matches. He went past former spinner Harbhajan Singh (417 wickets) when India played the Kiwis. He is now eight scalps short of surpassing former India all-rounder Kapil Dev's 434 wickets.
Ashwin has seven 10-wicket hauls, the second-highest by an Indian bowler in Test cricket. Leading the pack is Kumble with eight 10w's. Should the Tamil Nadu spinner run riot through the Kiwi batting order, this could be another landmark that he can achieve in the three-Test series.
#3 Ajinkya Rahane needs 3 catches to complete 100 Test catches
The former India vice-captain has a shot at completing 100 Test catches if he latches on to three of them in the three-match series. Rahane will also see some competition from India skipper Kohli, who just needs two catches to reach the same milestone.
However, Rahane would want to contribute more from his bat. His poor performances recently led to speculation that he might not even make the team going to South Africa. However, he was backed by the selectors.