South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening Test against India at Eden Gardens on Friday, November 14. “We will have a bat,” Bavuma said at the toss, signalling confidence in his top order despite the early-morning assistance expected for fast bowlers.
This marks South Africa’s first red-ball match in Kolkata since 2019, while India return to the iconic venue for a Test after six years.
Both teams enter the series with several milestones within reach — including Shubman Gill’s chance to break the record for most Test centuries by an Indian captain in a calendar year, Kagiso Rabada approaching 350 wickets, and Ravindra Jadeja nearing the rare 4000 runs–300 wickets double.
