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Pant’s Captaincy Debut Marred by Toss Loss as South Africa Elects to Bat
Guwahati, India – Rishabh Pant’s debut as India’s 38th Test captain got off to a disappointing start as he lost the toss against South Africa in the second Test match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. South African captain Temba Bavuma elected to bat first after winning the toss, continuing India’s recent string of bad luck with the coin.
Pant becomes the first wicketkeeper to captain India in Test cricket since MS Dhoni. However, his captaincy debut couldn’t break India’s losing streak as this loss marks the 8th toss lost out of the last 9 Tests for the Indian side.
Pant acknowledged that while the wicket looked good for batting, he wouldn’t have minded bowling first either.
India made two changes to their playing XI for this match. Sai Sudharsan replaced Axar Patel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy came in for Shubman Gill, who is sidelined due to a neck injury. Sudharsan will bat at number 3, replacing Washington Sundar.
South Africa also made one change, bringing in all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy in place of pacer Corbin Bosch.
The match marks the first Test to be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, adding another layer of anticipation.
First Piper 