Proteas win toss and bowl as Burger and Bedingham make Test debuts

Left-arm seamer Nandre Burger and middle-order batter David Bedingham will make their Test debuts for the Proteas in the opening match of the two-Test series against India on Tuesday.

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma won the toss at SuperSport Park in Centurion and chose to bowl under leaden skies on a pitch that has a lush covering of grass.

Burger, who made his T20 and ODI debuts last week, starts ahead of Lungi Ngidi, who according to Bavuma was not match-fit. According to the Proteas management, Ngidi has recovered from the ankle strain that prevented him from playing in the T20 series against India, but there are concerns that he won't last five days.

Bedingham's debut comes three years after he nearly threw in his lot with England. However, changes to England's trade laws after Brexit meant his Kolpak contract was null and void and he was able to represent South Africa again.

The start of the match was delayed by half an hour, with a member of the ground staff having to dry damp patches on the pitch with a hairdryer. Though no water leaked through the covers, it is understood the patches were caused by the pitch being under covers for longer than anticipated because of the amount of rain that has fallen in the region in the last few days.

The 27-year-old medium-pacer Prasidh Krishna will make his Test debut for India, after the injury-enforced absence of Mohammad Shami.

TEAMS

South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony De Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (capt), Kevin Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verrynne, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shryes Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravi Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna