Proteas win toss and bowl, Stubbs makes his debut at Newlands
Stand-in captain Dean Elgar won the toss and chose to bat in the second Test against India — his last — at Newlands on Wednesday.
The home team made three changes to the side that won the opening match at Centurion by an innings and 32 runs. Two of those were enforced, with Tristan Stubbs making his debut in place of Temba Bavuma, while Lungi Ngidi replaced Gerald Coetzee, who has a hip problem. Keshav Maharaj was brought into starting XI, with Keegan Petersen dropped.
Stubbs, 23, impressed Proteas coach Shukri Conrad during the an South Africa A tour to Sri Lanka last July, making a hundred on a spinning track in the first of two four-day matches against Sri Lanka A. He has also been in good form for the Warriors in the domestic Four-Day series, scoring 253 runs at an average of 50.60 in three matches.
Newlands You Beauty 😍
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 3, 2024
Nothing like a New Year's Test match in the Mother City 🏔🇿🇦#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/RbH45QiRdx
India made two changes to their side, with Ravi Jadeja replacing Ravi Ashwin, while Mukesh Kumar, comes in for Shardul Thakur.
* Meanwhile, a small gathering of pro-Palestine protesters, were moved by police away from the gates in Campground Road, to allow those with tickets entry into the venue. One of the protesters held a small sign “smash Israhell for 6!!”
The group also criticised CSA for what they felt was support for Israel, after South Africa under-19 captain David Teeger, who had expressed his support for the Israel Defence Force at an awards evening in October, was exonerated after an independent inquiry.
TEAMS
South Africa: Dean Elgar (capt), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj Mukesh Kumar