Johannesburg: South Africa are hopeful that both fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Luji Ngidi will be available for selection for the first Test against India starting in Pretoria on Tuesday, coach Shukri Konrad has confirmed.
Rabada has a heel injury and Ngidi an ankle injury, but Conrad said they were still part of the team.
“Both of them are here with us, which means they are available for selection in the current situation,” Konrad told reporters on Saturday.
He added: “We did not call anyone as a substitute, and we hope that come the morning of the match we will have 15 players ready to choose from.”
Whether the duo play or not, it is likely that Gerald Coetzee, the 23-year-old fast bowler who impressed in the ICC World Cup in India that concluded last month, will take a run at what is likely to be the wicket of Centurion Park. With pace and bounce, regardless of his lack of Test experience.
Coetzee has taken nine wickets in the two Tests he has played so far, against the West Indies earlier this year.
“He’s still a kid in Test cricket,” Conrad said. “He was exceptional every time he stepped on the pitch, whether it was with the white ball in hand or the red one. This will be just another step.
“He brings aggression, he brings something we’ve always been proud of as South Africans, which is speed.
“He brings all these elements and hopefully with the experience he is building in the (T20) league and playing for South Africa in the white and red ball, in a couple of years he can lead our bowling attack.”
India are seeking a first Test series win in South Africa and Conrad says his team is desperate to maintain their record of never losing to the tourists on home soil.
“If this can be made bigger, the fact that India has never won here does so,” he said. “We definitely want to uphold that proud record and make sure that doesn’t happen.
“There are a lot of games that this series hinges on. It’s two Tests, so it’s a high-pressure test. You’re 1-0 down and you can’t win the series. You’re 1-0 up, you can’t lose.” “It will be like a heavyweight boxing bout.”