After a comfortable series win against West Indies, India's home season continues with the two-match Test series against South Africa, slated to start at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday (November 14). The hosts have started their new Test era under captain Shubman Gill on a positive note, courtesy a 2-2 draw in England followed by the 2-0 win against West Indies.
While the Caribbean challenge was far from tricky, it was an important series for India who were playing their first series at home since the 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand late last year. In terms of context, the upcoming South Africa series will tell us where the team stands in terms of progress, given the recent upward graph of the World Test Championship winners.
Meanwhile, there are a few milestones that could be breached across this two-match series and there is an outside chance of that happening in Kolkata itself. There are also some stats to be aware of.
- Shubman Gill needs just one more hundred to break Virat Kohli's record for the most tons as captain in a calendar year
- Shubman Gill needs 21 more to become the first batter to get 1000-plus Test runs in 2025
- If Kagiso Rabada picks ten more wickets, his career tally in the longest format will get to 350 scalps, thereby putting him an elite club
- Ravindra Jadeja needs just ten more runs to get to 4000 Test runs and that will get him into an elite club of all-rounders with the double of 4000 Test runs and 300 wickets
- This will be the first Test match at the Eden Gardens since the pink-ball game against Bangladesh in 2019
- South Africa have only won two Tests in India since 2001