"Wicket Looked Different": Shubman Gill Hints at Late Change to India’s XI for 1st South Africa Test
Captain eyes spin trio as Eden surface tricks team.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill has thrown intrigue into the buildup to the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens, revealing that the pitch's ever-shifting appearance has forced a last-minute rethink on the playing XI despite a near-finalized spin-heavy lineup, with the match set to ignite the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle on November 14 amid balmy Kolkata conditions hovering between 18-28°C and hazy air quality.
Gill, addressing a packed pre-match press conference on Thursday, emphasized that while Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are locked in as the core of a potent spin attack tailored for the anticipated turner—drawing lessons from last year's humiliating 0-3 whitewash by New Zealand's spinners Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, and Glenn Phillips who claimed 36 wickets—the decisive third spinner slot pits wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav against left-arm orthodox Axar Patel, with the call hinging on Friday's dawn inspection to account for the surface's unpredictable behavior and early eastern twilight.
The 25-year-old captain candidly admitted the wicket's chameleon-like changes, stating, "More or less, we have finalised it. But when we came yesterday, the wicket looked different. Today, it is once again different. So tomorrow, we will take a final look at the pitch before deciding," highlighting how factors like rapid wear, grass cover variability, and shortening daylight hours could tip the balance toward an extra seamer like Mohammed Siraj or Akash Deep if the track unexpectedly favors pace early on.
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India's formidable batting depth, bolstered by the return of explosive wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant alongside the in-form Dhruv Jurel—who has notched four centuries in his last eight first-class outings—will confront South Africa's revamped arsenal, traditionally dominated by fiery pacers but now boasting one of global cricket's deadliest spin trios in Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, and Senuran Muthusamy, who plundered 35 of 39 wickets in their recent 1-1 draw against Pakistan without talismanic captain Temba Bavuma.
As the reigning World Test champions arrive brimming with confidence from their subcontinental stalemate—outspinning Pakistan's Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Salman Agha who mustered just 21 scalps—Gill's side carries the scars of spin-induced collapses but enters as overwhelming favorites on home soil, with the series opener poised to test transitional strategies under new head coach Gautam Gambhir and validate India's unyielding fortress mentality against a Proteas unit hungry to extend their WTC dominance.
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