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2025 WTC winners South Africa will face India in a two-match Test series which is set to start on Friday (November 14) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Graeme Smith on South Africa’s chances in Test series against India. (Picture Credit: AFP)
2025 World Test Championship (WTC) winners South Africa will face India in a two-match Test series. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 14 to 18, and the second Test will be played from November 22 to 26 in Guwahati. Ahead of the start of the red-ball series between the two teams, former South African skipper Graeme Smith opened up about the Proteas’ chances in the upcoming series against India.
According to Smith, South Africa will be able to give India tough competition if their batters manage to score big runs.
“Obviously, conditions-wise, you always want to start well in India. I actually think Eden Gardens is not a bad place for us to start. Even if the conditions are dry, it’s still a ground that batters can get in and score runs on. I think that is the key element for the South African team coming out of India. I actually like the two spin options they have in (Keshav) Maharaj and (Simon) Harmer. I think they can control the game and can turn the ball, so it’s an ability to get wickets. I think it’s key. 20 wickets in a Test match is obviously the most important thing. But I think if they can find a way to get some runs in this first Test match and get some confidence, then I think they can compete,” Smith said during the SA20 event in Mumbai on Wednesday.
South Africa last won a Test series in India in 2000, and this time, under Temba Bavuma’s leadership, the Proteas want to end the 25-year-long wait. They are coming into the away series against India after defeating Pakistan in the second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 23.
The 2025 WTC winners have played a total of 10 WTC matches under Bavuma’s leadership and won nine of them. The 35-year-old right-handed batter from Cape Town, who has 3708 runs to his credit in 64 Tests so far, would like to add two more wins to his tally this month.
In the last 25 years, South Africa have won only two matches in India, and in their last Test tour of India in 2019, they suffered humiliating defeats in all three matches.
South Africa’s squad for the Test series against India: Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram (VC), Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (WK), Zubayr Hamza, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj
November 12, 2025, 13:54 IST
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