Indian cricket fans’ wait will finally end on Wednesday as Virat Kohli and his men will take the field for their first match of the ongoing ICC World Cup in England.
The Indian team is the last to play its first match in the tournament and there’s plenty of buzz around the men in blue as they prepare to face a South African side that has lost their first two matches.
Although the two-time champions have had plenty of time to observe what the other teams have been doing, there’s still uncertainty regarding what their final XI will look like.
Injuries to Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar in the lead-up to the marquee 50-over event, along with the constant chopping and changing in the team over the past year, has led to a few unanswered questions.
The match against the Proteas will be played in Southampton. Reports from the ground this week suggest that the pitch is going to be a belter but the weather is unpredictable in that part of the England. Some of the games in the World Cup so far have had green-ish wickets, so India’s combination will depend on the pitch that greets them on Wednesday.
A good batting wicket will be good news for openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan who haven’t been at their best of late, whereas a tinge of grass might tempt the side to play all three seamers.
Having said all that, who would you include from the squad of 15 for the first match? Put your selector’s cap on and predict India’s playing XI for their tournament-opener against the Proteas.