IND vs SA, 1st Test: Eden Gardens Stats and Records | South Africa tour of India 2025

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The two-match Test series between India and South Africa is set to commence this Friday (November 14) at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The fixture marks the return of the Proteas to India for a Test series, a venue where they last toured in 2019 and were clean-swept 3-0 by the dominant hosts.

South Africa faces an uphill battle as they look to reverse a dismal record, having not won a Test match on Indian soil since 2010. This long jinx casts a shadow over the visitors, who are keen to prove their mettle in subcontinental conditions.

The Indian team’s aura of invincibility in home Tests was recently shattered when the Black Caps (New Zealand) completed a shocking series sweep last year. However, under the guidance of newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill, India appears to have recovered quickly. Gill’s side managed a respectable drawn series in England and recently secured a confident 2-0 home victory against West Indies, suggesting the squad has settled and is ready for the challenge.

For South Africa, captain Temba Bavuma will be demanding resilience from his batting unit against India’s veteran spin attack. The Proteas, who recently secured a 1-1 draw in a challenging series in Pakistan, will rely heavily on their own spinners to extract performance from the Indian pitches, hoping to turn their fortunes around.

The iconic Eden Gardens is the most experienced Test venue in India, having hosted 39 matches. The surface here is generally regarded as one of the country’s best batting tracks, promising good totals early on. However, as is typical for subcontinent venues, the pitch tends to wear down over time, bringing Indian tweakers into action as the match progresses.

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Devdutt Padikkal, Akash Deep

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne(w), Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy, Zubayr Hamza, Wiaan Mulder

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