Centurion: India is all set to take on South Africa in the Boxing Day Test at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion with big guns like skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah returning to the fray.

Team needs to win something big following their heart-breaking loss in the World Cup

The three players will be taking on the field for the first time since India lost the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedbad last month. The Test team, led by Rohit, played an intra-squad match at Tuks Oval in Pretoria. Some of the Test regulars also played a tour game before the intra-squad match. Kohli and the rest of the team were present for India’s training session ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

The trio is back in the Test squad after being rested for the T20I and ODI series against the Proteas. The Men in Blue were held to a 1-1 draw in the three-match T20I series with the first match being washed off due to rain, and beat South Africa 2-1 in the three-match ODI series.

Rohit will lead the Indian team in a two-match Test series against South Africa, aiming to become the first Indian skipper to register a Test series win on South African soil. Prior to Rohit, seven different Indian captains have tried and failed to conquer South Africa in Test cricket. Out of 22 Tests, India have won only four matches in South Africa.

Speaking ahead of the Test series, Rohit stressed that the team needs to win something big following their heart-breaking loss in the World Cup final. India has played eight Test series in South Africa, losing seven and drawing one.

“We’ve never won a Test series in South Africa, if we win the series, I don’t know if it can compensate for the World Cup loss. World Cup is a World Cup, we can’t compare. We have worked so hard, so we need something, something big. And everyone is desperate for it. We have the tools and I hope we perform well. We want to play freely and not think much,” said Rohit.