South africa vs india 2013-14 Features

Jacques Kallis is, perhaps, no Sachin Tendulkar or Don Bradman. His worth to his team though has been as much as that of any other legend.

The 38-year-old Jacques Kallis, who made his debut against England in December 1995, is the third big player to quit Test cricket this season after Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar.

The 38-year-old all-rounder will play his last Test for South Africa against India in Durban on Boxing Day.

After impressing in the three-match ODI series against India, South Africa's Quinton de Kock will look to carry the momentum in the domestic circuit with the Highveld Lions to stake a claim in the national Test side.

After suffering a massive innings defeat in the first Test, India made a stellar comeback to win the second. However, chasing a stiff total in the third, they settled for a draw to end the three-match Test series at 1-1 in 2010-11.

The Johannesburg Test starting on December 18 will be Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 50th assignment as India's captain. He would become the first captain to lead India in 50 Tests.

Left-handed batsman Quinton de Kock, who scored three consecutive centuries against India, proved his worth at the top of the order and showed why he is the best bet for opener's slot at the moment.

The India-South Africa Test series begins December 18 and India will look to leave behind the ODI series loss and start afresh. India were beaten comprehensively in all departments by the Proteas and bouncing back for the Test series will not be easy. NDTV takes a look at the top five things that the hosts were better at during the ODIs.

NDTVCricket has put together five things India needs to do to finish the limited-overs series on a high:

Thursday's 141-run defeat in the first ODI at Johannesburg may be blamed on a poor Indian bowling performance but the plan to land in South Africa just three days before a challenging series is not a very good idea.