IND vs SA Tests: Will it be rewarding?

India captain Rohit Sharma (right) with teammates Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj during a practice session ahead of the first Test against South Africa in Centurion on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Christmas Monday dawned bleak and damp, the constant pitter-patter of the rain an unwelcome diversion that forced the cancellation of India's optional training session. It was to have been the team's final top-up ahead of the two-Test series starting at SuperSport Park on Tuesday; instead, Rohit Sharma and his boys were confined to their hotel in nearby Johannesburg, watching the rain beat down with varying degrees of intensity.

No practice, no issue
The loss of one practice session is unlikely to have a major impact on which way the dice rolls in a series whose significance extends beyond World Test Championship points. South Africa is the only land where India haven't won a Test series; since 1992, India have lost seven and drawn the other, installing this as the Final Frontier, one that India are desperate to conquer, in the words of their skipper.

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Still coming to terms with the disappointment of the World Cup final more than a month back, Rohit's emotional, ‘Itna mehnat hum kar rahe hain, to kuch bada humko chahiye' (We are working so hard, so we want something big) remark at the pre-series press conference showed how pumped up India are to rewrite history in a country which otherwise too shares a strong historical link with India. Test matches and series, however, aren't won on desperation and emotion alone, something Rohit is well aware of, having just completed the tenth anniversary of his Test debut.

For the last few series, India have been more than competitive here, winning a Test in four of their last five tours. The final push has been elusive, but despite possessing three batsmen in their top six who have yet to play a Test in South Africa, India have as good a chance this time as they ever have had previously.

Strong bowling unit
Mohammed Shami's unavailability through injury is a humongous blow, no doubt, and while he is well nigh irreplaceable, the return to Test cricket after a year and a half of Jasprit Bumrah, the presence of the ever-improving Mohammed Siraj and adequate back-up resources mean India won't be severely handicapped. Conditions in South Africa - extra bounce at the start, liberal seam movement throughout the five days and variable bounce as the match progresses - keep bowlers interested all the time, therefore it is the few extra runs teams can eke out that can prove decisive in the final analysis.

It's towards that end that India have turned to KL Rahul to slot in as wicketkeeper-batsman in the middle order. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer will be playing their first Tests in South Africa, Rohit Sharma's last red-ball outing here was in early 2018. Rahul made a hundred at this same venue two years back and India are banking on his experience and expertise, as well as that of Virat Kohli, to give their ambition further impetus. The forecast for day one is not encouraging but the weather should settle thereafter.