SA vs IND: Batsman ruled out for 3-4 weeks; no replacement named

South Africa has already won the Test series against India. The Proteas are up against the World No 1 Test side for a 3-match Test series. After winning the first two Tests, South Africa has set its eyes on a series whitewash. They would want to give it back to the Indians after the Proteas were whitewashed in India 3-0 back in 2015.

Although whitewashing India wouldn’t make a difference in the Test ranking, they will inch closer to getting to the No.1 mark. Both the teams will be on 118 points with India leading only by a few decimal points. Earlier, the Proteas were decrowned from the No.1 position when they last toured India.

Batsman out of action

When South Africa toured India in 2015, all the talks were centred around the pitches. They were provided with tracks that turn square and all the three matches ended before the third or the fourth day. There were talks about the same kind of treatment for India in South Africa. Although the Proteas wanted bouncy tracks, there were forced to be generous in the first two Tests. However, the track at the Wanderers in an absolute ripper. With some good grass covering, it is expected to generate some good bounce.

South Africa has already been hit by injury scare in this series. The comeback man, Dale Steyn injured his ankle in the first Test. He is out of action for four to six weeks. And, the new entrant in this list is middle-order batsman Temba Bavuma.

Bavuma has suffered a fractured ring finger while playing for the Cape Cobras in the Momentum One-Day Cup. He is expected to be ruled out roughly for three to four weeks. Bavuma is part of the South Africa Test squad but hasn’t featured in either of the first two games against India. Despite his unavailability for the final game – at Wanderers from January 24, he will remain with the squad and a replacement for him will not be named.

Follow CricTracker for more news alerts of SAvIND series