India will eye a maiden Test series victory on South African soil when they take on the Proteas in a three-match series starting Sunday. The Virat Kohli-led side will start the series in Centurion full of confidence having won a second consecutive Test series in Australia earlier this year and taken an unassailable 2-1 lead in England before the fifth and final Test had to be called off because of a coronavirus outbreak. The last time India had toured South Africa, in 2018, the Proteas had won the three-match Test series 2-1.
This time, India are visiting South Africa with a more experienced bowling line-up than in 2018.
The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav will hope to cause some serious damage to the hosts and help India end their Test series drought in South Africa.
According to former South Africa skipper Ali Bacher, the Indian cricket team has "the best pace attack I have seen in the past thirty years".
"The first two Tests are to be played in Centurion, which is nearly 5000 feet above sea level and the Wanderers, Johannesburg which is nearly 6000 feet above sea level. The rarefied atmosphere at these two Test grounds plus the fast bouncy pitches at the Wanderers and Super Sport Park generally favour fast bowlers. The current Indian team has the best pace attack I have seen in the past thirty years. Therefore, India will start as favourites for the first two Test matches," Bacher told News 18.
After the Centurion Test, India and South Africa will face off in Johannesburg and Cape Town in the remaining Tests.