As Rohit Sharma’s Indian team reaches Centurion for the first match of the 2-match Test series against South Africa, it’s the rain threat that remains the biggest roadblock for the two sets of players. While winning the Test series in the Rainbow Nation remains the team’s ultimate aim, the first day of the first Test is under the serious threat of a washout. Weather at the Supersport Park in Centurion paints quite a gloomy picture, denting players and fans’ hopes of witnessing a thrilling Boxing Day Test action.
According to AccuWeather, there remains a 96% chance of rain during the day. About 4 hours of rain is expected in Centurion on Tuesday during the day. Even the past couple of days witnessed quite relentless rain, meaning the outfield wouldn’t be in the best condition too.
As the day progresses, the chances of rain are expected to improve. AccuWeather suggests 60% chance of rain in the night, a fact that could affect the second day’s play in Centurion too.
With the overcast conditions in South Africa, pacers will understandably play a key role for both teams. On the eve of the contest, India captain Rohit Sharma admitted that Mohammed Shami will be a big miss for the team although he is hopeful of others stepping up.
“Our seamers have earned that respect, because of how they perform in overseas conditions. For the last five to seven years, they have done well in Australia, England and South Africa. Even in South Africa, we won the first Test last year but came close in the next two matches. They have pulled their weight in and given us what we expect from them. Shami will be a big miss, his experience and what he has done for our team over the years. Someone will come to fill his place, it is not going to be easy, but we have a lot of confidence in whoever takes his place,” said Rohit.
“Bowlers dominate here a lot due to pace and lateral movement seamers get. As the game goes on, cracks open in the surface and it gives invariable bounce. Every day has its own challenges. As the game goes on, it gets tougher. But these are things you want to do in your career, playing against the top teams in difficult conditions. We have had a decent time preparing for the series,” he added.
With rain likely to impact proceedings in Centurion, the series could be a one-match shootout between the two teams in the second Test.
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