Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal…Mukesh Kumar: Sunil Gavaskar picks his playing XI for IND vs SA Test in Centurion | Cricket News

A Test series win in South Africa is the last piece of the puzzle for the Indian side which can then claim to have bagged a series win in all the SENA countries at least once. With the pace bowling options available and young batting talent coming through, combined with the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India stand a strong chance to conquer the final frontier in the Rainbow Nation this time around.
A couple of days before the Boxing Day Test, Sunil Gavaskar picked his eleven for the first Test in Centurion. The batting legend opted to go with two spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, in the lineup. “My playing XI is going to be very simple. The openers will be Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma – the captain. No.3 Shubman Gill, No.4 – Kohli, No. 5 KL Rahul, and No.6 Shreyas Iyer. 5 and 6 can move, and after that will be Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
The other spot that has been up for debate in the last few weeks has been Mohammed Shami’s place, who is sidelined due to an ankle injury with Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna the contenders to fill the void. Mukesh, though, has had a mediocre white-ball leg of the tour in his debut series in the West Indies but has impressed everyone with his immaculate accuracy.
Prasidh, on the other hand, is yet to make his debut in international red-ball cricket. However, Gavaskar leaned towards Kumar in his lineup. In addition to these, KL Rahul will be expected to play as a full-time keeper batter in the series. “Then I’ll have three fast bowlers – Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar’s India playing XI in the 1st Test match against South Africa: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.