R Ashwin was included in the Indian XI as the lone spinner for 1st Test.
India has never won a Test series in South Africa and they were hoping to start well in this series. However, overnight rain meant that the toss and play was delayed for quite some time due to wet outfield and damp spots on the pitch.
Home captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and decided to field first to take advantage of overcast conditions and dampness in the pitch. Nandre Burger and David Bedingham made their Test debuts for Proteas. For India, pacer Prasidh Krishna got his Test cap as well.
However, when Rohit Sharma was talking about the Indian combination for this Test, he revealed that Ravindra Jadeja was not fit for selection and that was the reason, R Ashwin was picked in his place.
The BCCI also confirmed the same while revealing the India playing Xi, revealing that Jadeja had upper back spasms on the morning of the match.
“Ravindra Jadeja complained of upper back spasms on the morning of the match. He was not available for selection for the first #SAvIND Test,” BCCI stated.
Meanwhile, India went to lunch at 91/3 with Virat Kohli unbeaten on 33 and Shreyas Iyer on 31*. India lost the wickets of Rohit Sharma (5), Yashasvi Jaiswal (17) and Shubman Gill (2).