The live score of India vs South Africa, the first test, shows that Rabada Fifer has effectively taken control of South Africa's performance against India.

December 26, 2023

If the live score indicates that "Rabada Fifer" has taken control of South Africa's performance against India, it likely means that Kagiso Rabada, a prominent South African fast bowler, has taken five wickets in the innings. In cricket, a "fifer" refers to a bowler taking five wickets in a single inning.

Taking five wickets in an innings demonstrates a bowler's skill, accuracy, and ability to dismiss key opposition batsmen. In the context of the India vs. South Africa test match, Rabada's performance suggests that he has been instrumental in restricting India's batting lineup and putting South Africa in a favorable position. Bowling figures of 5 wickets or more in an innings can be a game-changer, influencing the course of the match and putting the bowling team in a commanding position.

However, many changes have been made to the squad, with Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out of the Test. Kishan withdrew his name, citing personal reasons, and was replaced by KS Bharat. Gaikwad had suffered a finger injury in the second ODI and thus was ruled out. He was replaced by 28-year-old Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was earlier named the captain of India 'A' Test side, which will face South Africa 'A' Test side on Tuesday.

South Africa also looks like a force to be reckoned with. It has Temba Bavuma back in the squad as captain and also has Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada in its bowling department. It is anticipated to be a great game of cricket as it will start on traditional Boxing Day, which holds a lot of significance in South Africa.

Well, that's Tea on day 1 and It is South Africa at the moment who are ahead in this game. A lot will depend on Rahul from here in fact if he can get a quick-fire knock from here on that may lay a foundation for an Indian win but all that is ifs and buts as Elgar will give another burst to Rabada after the break and getting quick runs against him the way he has been bowling today would be a tough challenge. The other part of it would be the tail showing resistance against him for those few overs in the aftermath of the tea plenty of action still left in the day stay with us.

Rohit Sharma is back to lead the Indian side against the Proteas after the World Cup debacle. South Africa is also at its full strength and is being led by regular skipper Temba Bavuma. However, the Indian side will be missing some of the key players, such as Mohammed Shami who has been kept out for his ankle injury, wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan who has asked to be released from the series, and Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been ruled out with a finger injury. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were also dropped from the squad.

Gerrald Coetzee though has not been down on pace and doesn't seem to be bowling with the same ease we have seen him bowling as he did in India during the World Cup. Looks like he is trying too much for wickets as this wicket is green rather than sticking to good lines and lengths and letting batters make the play. He has bowled four overs into this spell and this spell he has been more inaccurate than the first one. There was a delivery where he tried to bowl a yorker to Shardul if the surface was not helping that would have been a good idea but with so much on offer he might be better off just sticking to that off-stump area.

The Centurion Test will also mark the first instance of Jasprit Bumrah steaming in to bowl with the red cherry for India since the Edgbaston Test against England in July 2022. The pace spearhead had been out of action for over a year until his comeback for the team in August this year, following which he’s only featured in the white-ball format.

While Mohammed Siraj is also a sure-shot starter, the absence of Mohammed Shami has left a big void to be filled. One that is settled to be occupied by Prasidh Krishna over Mukesh Kumar. While Mukesh has already made his debut for India in whites, Prasidh’s added stature lends him the advantage of extracting extra bounce off the pitch, more margin for error with his length, and the best chance of juicing life from the surface.

India is yet to win a Test series on South African soil, having lost seven out of eight. At the toss today, Rohit said that ‘runs on the board’ will be crucial to India’s chances of doing well in the opening Test.

South Africa (Playing XI): Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Cricket matches are dynamic, and the significance of Rabada's performance would depend on various factors such as the overall match situation, the conditions of the pitch, and the quality of the opposition's batting lineup.