Alamy Stock Photo
India tour of South Africa
Test Format
1st Test
South Africa v India
Centurion Park
Centurion, South Africa
26-30 December 2023
South Africa will look to defend an unbeaten series record on home soil against India when they clash in the
first Test at Centurion Park, which gets underway on December 26.
The Proteas have only played three Tests thus far in 2023 - against Australia (1) and West Indies (2) at the start of the year - and they'll be hoping to make a positive start to the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
This will be Shukri Conrad's second series in charge of the national team after he was appointed red-ball coach in January, having kicked off his tenure with a 2-0 win against the Windies in February and March.
SA captain Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi return to the squad after being rested for the T20I and ODI series' against the Men in Blue, while David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs and Nandre Burger are all in line to make their debuts in the longer format of the game.
Dean Elgar is set for an emotional farewell after announcing he will retire from international cricket following the second Test at Newlands.
"Playing the game of cricket has always been a dream of mine but having the opportunity to represent your country is the ultimate!" Elgar said.
"Having had the privilege to do it for 12 years internationally is simply beyond my wildest dreams. It has been an incredible journey that I have been fortunate enough to have.
"As they say, 'all good things come to an end', and the Indian home series will be my last, as I have made the decision to retire from our beautiful game. A game that has given me so much," Elgar said.
"The Cape Town Test will be my last. My favourite stadium in the world. A place I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too.
"Having the opportunity to represent my country and the learnings I've had along my journey is something I'll always be thankful for. It's most definitely been the best learning experience of my life."
India have never won a Test series in South Africa, although they came close on their last tour to the country in 2022 after taking a 1-0 lead before losing 2-1 following a meltdown in the third Test.
Virat Kohli is expected to be available for the opening Test in Centurion despite returning home for personal reasons. He was rested for the white-ball leg of the tour alongside Rohit Sharma.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out of the two matches with a finger injury and the BCCI confirmed that Abhimanyu Easwaran will replace him in the squad as the reserve opener.
KL Rahul led the team to a 2-1 win in the ODI series and admitted they will savour the moment for a day or two before turning their attention to the Tests.
"Love being around the boys, that's how it's been since I came over to South Africa after some time away following a disappointing World Cup final," Rahul said.
"Will celebrate with the boys and then switch back to focusing on the Test series in a day or two."
Head-to-Head (Tests)
Matches - 42
South Africa - 17
India - 15
Draws - 10
Test Team Rankings
1 - India
4 - South Africa
Bet on local and international cricket
Bet on all international and local cricket action all year round as we bring you the best online cricket betting platform. We offer a variety of Bet Types you can bet on, these include: Match Result, Team with Top Batter, Will there be a tie, Top Bowler, Coin Toss, Any Player to Score a Milestone, Total Runouts. Join Betway now & bet on cricket.
Stand to win big with Live Games
Enjoy your favourite Live Games from as little as R1 per bet with massive winning potential of up to R5 million on some selected games. Unlock all your favourite Live Games today and take a seat at your favourite tables to take on the dealer head-on. 
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow Betway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Download the Betway App.