South Africa vs India, 1st Test, Day 1: How The World Reacted To Ajinkya Rahane's Inclusion And Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer Missing Out

After winning the toss in the opening Test match against South Africa, India revealed their playing XI with Ajinkya Rahane included as Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer missed out. The news received a mixed reaction on Twitter as some fans felt that Kohli and Rahul Dravid needed to bank on experience while others said that Vihari "deserved" to be selected. Supporting Vihari, one fan said, "You're talking about Shreyas, Think about Vihari, didn't do anything wrong. Was only played outside India, was sent to SA as Part of India A, scored decently and still sitting out. Out of him Iyer and Rahane, he was most deserving".

You're talking about Shreyas, Think about Vihari, didn't do anything wrong. Was only played outside India, was sent to SA as Part of India A, scored decently and still sitting out. Out of him Iyer and Rahane, he was most deserving

— (@non_obstante) December 26, 2021

For the first South Africa Test, the Indian team management decided to go with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal as openers. Regular opener Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the series due to a left hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, the other batters are Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli, Rahane and Rishabh Pant. The bowling department sees one spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin in the playing XI and five fast bowlers (Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj).

Another fan rallied behind Vihari and stated that his form with India A recently should have been enough to guarantee his selection.

"HATE IT MAN. HATE IT. Yes I know Rahane has done well in SA before but he can't be in the team for that lone reason. Vihari, who played a million balls & match saving knocks in India A series have been left out JUST LIKE THAT", the fan tweeted.

HATE IT MAN. HATE IT. Yes I know Rahane has done well in SA before but he can't be in the team for that lone reason. Vihari, who played a million balls & match saving knocks in India A series have been left out JUST LIKE THAT. #SAvIND

— Jaanvi (@ThatCric8Girl) December 26, 2021

One user called Kohli's decision "bold" but also called it "a conservative line of thinking".

"Bold decision to back Ajinkya Rahane ahead of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer? Time will tell. At the moment, it seems it is a conservative line of thinking", the user said.

Bold decision to back Ajinkya Rahane ahead of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer? Time will tell. At the moment, it seems it is a conservative line of thinking.

— G Rajaraman (@g_rajaraman) December 26, 2021

Here are the other reactions:

Batting first was the correct decision.

Having said that, given the current test form of Pujara, Kohli, Rahane & Pant, they should have either played an extra batsman or dropped Rahane.

Vihari has been hard done by!

— Cricketjeevi (@wildcardgyan) December 26, 2021

Surprised to see Ajinkya Rahane back. Hard on Hanuma Vihari. But only fair that he wasn't played in SA the last time he was in form. Bigger surprise to not see Duanne Olivier in the XI. But in Marco Jansen, SA have an angle that India don't like. #SAvIND #BoxingDayTest

— S. Sudarshanan (@Sudarshanan7) December 26, 2021

Its extremely hard on Vihari, but the reasoning behind the selection of Rahane in simple. He averages 54 in SA with 4 47+ scores in 6 inn. So, one last dance kuduthurkanga. Also, it's unfair to put it fully on Kohli too. It's clear now Dravid has a strong say in team selections. https://t.co/fR5HKL2a6s

— Srini Mama (@SriniMaama16) December 26, 2021

Hard for Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer but Virat made a good decision by backing experienced Ajinkya Rahane. Ajinkya has a good record in SENA countries. Shardul will provide batting depth.#AjinkyaRahane #ShreyasIyer #INDvsSA

— The Critical (@thenileshkolage) December 26, 2021

Having won the toss and electing to bat, the visitors will be aiming to start well and post a good first innings score.

India have never won a Test series in South Africa and their previous visit ended in a 1-2 defeat in 2018.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Hanuma Vihari Ajinkya Rahane Shreyas Iyer Virat Kohli South Africa vs India 2021/22 South Africa vs India, 1st Test Cricket