Two of the best all-formats teams in the world are about to go head-to-head in the most challenging format. No, we are not talking about the Ashes that begin next week.
India host world champions South Africa for what has quietly become one of the more keenly contested Test series, both home and away.
For the Proteas, it is a continuation of an arduous tour of the subcontinent which started with a full tour of Pakistan.
There, South Africa levelled the Test series 1-1, while the hosts took both limited overs contests 2-1. Now, South Africa move on to a seemingly tougher challenge against the two-time World Test Championship finalists and reigning T20 world champions.
India will get to try out their entire player pool against one of the most competitive outfits during two Tests, three ODIs and five T20s. It will be an especially critical series for limited-overs specialists on both sides as this tour will serve as an audition for the T20 World Cup that takes place in the subcontinent early next year.
But that is all for later. For now, it is about a mouthwatering Test contest between the reigning world champions and an Indian team finding its feet under the new leadership of Shubman Gill.
The two-match series begins at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Friday. The second match of the series takes place in the eastern part of India – Guwahati.
Why are there only two India v South Africa Tests?
Two highly entertaining Test sides will once again engage in a series of just two Tests. It is a sad reality of modern cricket that is moulded by non-cricketing considerations.
The Proteas are the reigning champions but there is a big asterisk next to their name – that of playing two-match series almost exclusively. This will be South Africa’s 10th consecutive two-match Test contest, not including their WTC final win earlier in the year.
The Proteas play three-match Test series only against Australia and England as of now. Whether that is the case in the future remains to be seen.
Back in 2023, South Africa sent a second string team for the Test tour of New Zealand as they wanted their top players to be available for their new T20 league. The Proteas received heavy criticism for the move but they prioritised financial health over optics. They even risked direct qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India by pulling out of a 50-over series in Australia, just to ensure the T20 league commitments are fulfilled.
Two years later, the SAT20 has become one of the most successful leagues in cricket, while the national side are the reigning Test champions and T20 World Cup finalists. The Proteas were proven right, ostensibly reinforcing the merit of the underlying policy.
India, meanwhile, play five-match Test series against Australia and England, while New Zealand recently swept the Indians in a three-match series.
Test series, unfortunately, are now subject to the needs of the organising boards and broadcasters. Only those with deep pockets and an appetite for subsidising Test cricket through proceeds from limited-overs contests are going for longer red-ball series.
For everyone else, a two-match series is enough to fulfil the international cricket commitments of a Test cycle. Which is why teams like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies, New Zealand and even Pakistan mainly play two-match series. Only series against England, Australia and sometimes India are of longer duration.
By the time the next broadcast rights cycles come up, there is every chance Test contests could shrink further to make way for the dedicated windows of T20 leagues.
The curious case of the venues
The first Test, which takes place in Kolkata, was supposed to be held in Delhi. However, given the history of dangerously poor air quality during this time of the year in northern India, the match was moved out of Delhi and shifted to Kolkata, with Delhi getting to host the October Test against the West Indies, and that too in near perfect weather.
However, having both games in the eastern part of India will pose a new challenge regarding daylight, especially in Guwahati where sunrise and sunset occur a lot earlier than usual.
To counter it, organisers are contemplating an earlier start, having the tea break at 11am local time, lunch around 1.30pm and then the final session. It would be a significant departure from the traditional schedule of having the lunch break first at around 11.30am, followed by tea at around 2pm.
However, that schedule was developed around English playing conditions where matches start at 10am and can finish around or even beyond 6pm local time due to abundant daylight. This new system could be employed for similar games in the subcontinent.
