South Africa vs India: Test 1 of 2 match predictions and betting tips

South Africa and India go to battle in the First Test at Centurion on Boxing Day, the first game of a two-match Series with priceless World Test Championship points up for grabs. Twice India have made the final of this new tournament, twice they’ve lost in the final. Let’s look at who might come out on top here. 

Predictions for South Africa vs India 1st Test match

South Africa are going through a transitional period in terms of players and may need a year or so to find their best XI. India on the other hand are far more settled and will field all of their big guns here. With lots of them having good experience of South African conditions and boasting a big-game mentality on a wicket that should produce a result, the tourists rate a good bet.   

⚡ Quick tips for South Africa vs India match

• Shubman Gill to be India 1st innings top batsman – ➡️ 5.9 odds at Cricbaba ⬅️
• Gerald Coetzee to be South Africa 1st innings top bowler – ➡️ 3.8 at Rajabets ⬅️
• Jasprit Bumrah to be man of the match – ➡️ 11.0 odds at 10CRIC ⬅️

📝 South Africa vs India betting tips 

India are a good value wager at 2.35 in our opinion but if you think it’s South Africa who will emerge victorious at Centurion, the 2.7 on the hosts may appeal to you. The draw is the biggest option of the three at 3.45 if you suspect that a particularly good wicket, rain or lots and lots of runs in the match may fail to produce a result. There are also some other good bets away from the winner market, so let’s talk you through them. 

1.  Shubman Gill to be India 1st innings top batsman – 5.9 at Cricbaba

Shubman Gill is likely to drop down a place from opener to number three as he prepares to take over from Chet Pujara for the long-term in that key position. An excellent back-foot player with a sound defensive technique, clear mind and excellent temperament, the bouncy wicket at Centurion may well play into his hands and allow him to cut and pull his way to a big score. At much bigger odds than the likes of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, he should give you a good run for your money. 

2. Gerald Coetzee to be South Africa 1st innings top bowler – 3.8 at Rajabets

India won’t have seen much of the young Gerald Coetzee but that may just play into the fast bowler’s hands. He’s only played two Tests up to now but they already produced nine wickets with best bowling figures of 3/37 so it’s clear that he’s started his Test career pretty well. He’s also shown good pace, variations and temperament in lots of games in white-ball cricket and may just catch India’s batsmen off-guard here. At better odds than rivals like Kagiso Rabada, he’s definitely worth a gamble. 

3. Jasprit Bumrah to be man of the match – 11.0 at 10CRIC

We haven’t mentioned Jasprit Bumrah yet but we will now. The Mumbai Indians man has played plenty of cricket here at Centurion before and generally with extremely good results. He has the ability to swing the ball in the right conditions as well as do batsmen for sheer pace. This may be something of a bowler’s wicket in what could be quite a low-scoring match so it may well be a bowler walking away with the man-of-the-match award. That bowler may well be Bumrah. 

South Africa vs India match details

Pitch condition for South Africa vs India match

Remarkably, the last 13 matches here at Centurion have all produced results so it’s highly unlikely we’re going to get a draw here. The team winning the toss is likely to want to bat first as the wicket tends to deteriorate here on days 4 and 5. Whoever bats first will be looking at posting around 330 knowing that chasing anything over 220 will be hard work in the fourth innings.  

South Africa Starting XI

Elgar, de Zorzi, Petersen, Bavuma, Markram, Verreynne, Jansen, Maharaj, Coetzee, Rabada, Ngidi. 

India Starting XI

Sharma, Jaiswal, Gill, Kohli, Iyer, Rahul, Jadeja, Shakur, Siraj, Krishna, Bumrah. 

Previous matches between South Africa and India  

42 Test matches between these two have produced 15 wins for India, 17 for South Africa and 10 draws. Just looking at the 21 matches played in South Africa and it’s 12 wins for the hosts, four for India and seven draws. The last five have produced three wins for India and two for the Proteas. 

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