India vs South Africa: Indian squad for the tour - 2013 and Now

Middle-order – Cheteshwar Pujara

29-year old Cheteshwar Pujara is probably one of the few Indian players who can look back on the 2013 South Africa tour and afford a smile, having ended the Test series as the highest run-scorer with 280 runs in his kitty after the 2 Tests. His 153-run innings off 270 balls in Johannesburg, followed by a gritty 132-ball 70 runs in Durban earned him praise from all quarters.

Ever since he’s maintained a healthy average of 47.55 in the longest format of the game. 2017, in particular, saw him hit a purple patch as he brought up 4 of his 14 Test centuries in the year, including the third double century of his career, a milestone he reached with a fabulous knock worth 202 runs against Australia at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi.

Virat Kohli (C)

Named the ‘Man of the Match’ in the Johannesburg Test for his scores of 119 and 96 in the two innings, Virat Kohli is another player with fond memories of the otherwise abysmal 2013 South Africa tour, having compiled 272 in the 2 Tests. The still-developing 25-year old batsman from 2013 will be leading the pack this time around, adding just that extra bit of pressure on the prolific cricketer that he’s grown to be in the last 4 years.

The period of 2014-2017 has seen the 29-year old scale brand new heights as he’s scored 3761 in 41 Tests at a staggering average of 58.76, including six double-centuries against five different oppositions. If India are to dominate in the upcoming Tests, it’ll be imperative for the skipper to play a substantial role in the proceedings.

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane fared quite well when it comes to the 2013 trip to South Africa as he ranked third in the list of most runs scored for India, with 209 runs to his name. His valiant efforts of 51* and 96 in the Durban Test were worth being lauded and the right-handed batsman will be hopeful of reconstructing similar performances this time around.

Subsequently, Rahane has been a part of 40 Tests in the last 4 years, in which he’s gathered 2609 runs at an average of 44.22 along with 9 centuries. His track record has been impeccable against the Proteas as he became the fifth Indian batsman to score centuries in both innings of a Test with scores of 127 and 100* against South Africa at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, New Delhi in 2015.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma will be eager to cement his position in the Test side and silence the critics of his batting in the longest format of the game. However, this’ll be no mean feat considering the fact that Sharma has only 3 Test centuries to his name till date, only one of which has come in the last 4 years, that too on home turf.

Following the 2013 outing, the 30-year old has played 19 Test matches and has registered 1068 runs at an average of 38.14 in 33 innings, including the highest score of 102* against Sri Lanka at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur in November 2017. Having captained the Indian side in the shorter versions of the game against Sri Lanka in the past one month in the absence of regular skipper, Virat Kohli, Sharma would’ve gained some valuable insight into the game and can be expected to utilise it to his advantage.