5 Indian players to look out for in the Test series against South Africa

The World no 1 Test team will take on the World no. 2 Test team in South Africa early next year, which promises to be a thrilling affair. While Virat Kohli and his men have won 15 successive bilateral series, playing away from home may pose new challenges ahead of them. India have never won a Test series in South Africa, but here are 5 players who can make it happen this time around.

Virat Kohli – India cannot boast of a player more dependable than their captain himself. Currently in the form of his life, across all formats, expectations will be high from the no. 3 batsmen on a challenging South African deck. Also, Virat had a decent tour of SA in 2013.\

Cheteshwar Pujara – The highest run-scorer in Tests in 2017, Pujara will be India’s go to man in the Test series, and he also did well on India's last tour to South Africa.

Ajinkya Rahane – Although he endured a rough patch in the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka, Rahane can be very vital to India’s chances overseas because he boasts of better away record than at home. He has scored six of his nine centuries overseas and has an average of 53.44 outside of India.

Ishant Sharma - Much like Rahane, Ishant Sharma’s place in the team has not come on the back of his current exploits, but his performances away from home. Out of the 79 Tests he has played in his career, 47 were overseas. The veteran pacer has taken 146 wickets abroad and can be crucial to India on the bouncy pitches.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Although India’s home season belonged to the spinners, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who bowled brilliantly from the pace attack. He took 11 wickets in the three Tests that he played this year. The 28-year-old is very effective with the new ball and can be a threat to the batsman as he can swing the ball both ways.