Gill banks on spinners as SA captain Bavuma wants world champions to prove credentials in first Test

India captain Shubman Gill said on Thursday fast bowlers could play a key role in the opening Test against South Africa, although spinners usually have the final say in home conditions.

The pitch at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens is expected to behave like a typical Indian surface -- offering good batting conditions over the first couple of days when the Test begins on Friday before assisting spin from day three.

However, the early morning moisture in eastern India could bring the quicks into play.

With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the lineup, India will be counting on their ability to exploit reverse swing.

“I think generally fast bowlers get a little help in the morning and evening,” Gill told reporters on the eve of the two-match series.

“Whenever we play in India, more or less the spinners decide the game.

“The better the quality of the spin attack you have, the better chances you have of winning the match,” he said.

India’s spin options for the opener include Ravindra Jadeja (left-arm orthodox), Washington Sundar (off-spin), Axar Patel (left-arm orthodox) and Kuldeep Yadav (left-arm wrist spin).

It could be a toss-up between fielding a third seamer or an extra spinner in the India XI.

“Even the England series that we played in 2024, the crucial wickets in between were taken by the fast bowlers -- even though the wickets were spin-friendly,” said Gill.

“So if you can get the ball reversing, the fast bowlers are always in the game.”

India boast of a strong Test record at home and registered a 2-0 whitewash against the West Indies last month.

It was Gill’s first home assignment as Test captain after he led the team to a 2-2 draw in a five-Test series in England as new skipper.

Gill, 26, is one of the few players in the current Indian set-up to play all three formats, and is fresh from a 2-1 T20 triumph in Australia.

“The challenge is definitely more mental than it is physical,” Gill said.

“Bodily, I feel fine. Mentally, it can be challenging at times because the requirements for different formats in different places of the world is different... it’s a good challenge and a good learning curve for me.”

Gill said a series win over reigning World Test champions South Africa would boost India’s ambition to make the final of the current cycle of the WTC.

“These two Tests are going to be very important to qualify for the WTC final,” Gill said.

Meanwhile, South Africa are the World Test champions and skipper Temba Bavuma wants them to play like it and prove their credentials in the two-test series against India beginning on Friday.

After decades of trying to shed the ‘choker’ tag, South Africa registered their first major triumph in June when they beat Australia in the World Test Championship final.

Five months on from their Lord’s glory, South Africa arrived in India with swagger but also a point to prove - that the WTC trophy was no fluke.

“We’re known as the champions, the current champions at this point,” Bavuma told reporters on the eve of the series opener at Eden Gardens.

“We have a lovely opportunity now coming up against India in their own conditions. There’s not many bigger challenges than that. So, it’s an opportunity for us to kind of stamp ourselves with that label.”

Bavuma knew not everyone considered the Proteas as the best test team in the world and was keen to make the WTC final again to silence all doubters.

“We started the (2025-27) test cycle with the ambition of seeing ourselves in the final again,” said the batter, who is returning from a calf injury.

“We have our own goals. We know where we want to be as a team, and we know at what point we want to start measuring ourselves up.”

“Yes, winning the test championship is big in a lot of ways but we’d like to see ourselves after four years where we measure up as a team.”

The WTC implications of the series were not lost on his India counterpart Shubman Gill either.

India, who have twice finished WTC runners-up, are currently third in the standings after a 2-2 draw in England and a 2-0 home victory against West Indies.

“These two tests are going to be very important to qualify for the WTC final,” Gill told reporters.

“They are the reigning World Test champions and we know that it won’t be easy.

“There will be difficult moments. But as a team, we have shown that whenever there are difficult moments, we have handled them well.”

A fit-again Rishabh Pant will don the keeper’s gloves, while Dhruv Jurel, who kept wicket against West Indies, will play as a specialist batter.

India returned home last week after a limited-overs series in Australia and Gill said shifting so quickly to the long format was easier said than done.

“But as a professional cricketer, you know that these challenges will be thrown at you. The way you tackle them defines your greatness.” Agencies