South Africa vs India 2018: 5 reasons why Proteas can beat India in the Test series
The home season is done and dusted for India. They were dominant at home and won nine consecutive series. But now a tougher challenge awaits as they start a long away sojourn. They first tour South Africa for a three-match Test series which will be followed by six ODIs and three T20Is.
South Africa, on the other hand, have also been in some good form. They recently beat both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe comprehensively and they are very good at home. Hence, this series should be a really competitive one.
However, here we look at 5 reasons why the hosts South Africa can beat the No. 1 Test side in the upcoming Test series.
#5 South Africa are back to full strength
For what is the first time in two years, South Africa will be going into a series with a full-strength squad. With Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and AB de Villiers suffering from constant injuries in the last couple of years and then with the latter opting to take a break from the longest format, the Proteas were never at full strength.
Faf du Plessis, who missed the historic Day-Night 4-day Test against Zimbabwe due to a shoulder injury, is expected to regain full fitness ahead of the Cape Town Test. Steyn has also recovered from the viral infection that kept him out of the Boxing Day Test. All-rounder Chris Morris is also reportedly fit (he suffered a groin strain during the Ram Slam final three weeks ago).
Now that most of the players who were hampered with injuries have recovered well, the team management is going to have a nice little selection headache before the first Test.
With 5 quality pacers in the ranks, one or two might have to sit out depending on the combination the hosts decide on (playing 4 or 5 bowlers). If they go in with 5 bowlers, the call on AB de Villiers becomes very interesting. With skipper Faf du Plessis likely to come back and Temba Bavuma performing well, it will be interesting to see what call the management takes on De Villiers.