'Would Have Beaten South Africa But For This Fellow': Ravi Shastri's Blockbuster Verdict

Former Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri said on Tuesday that the Rohit Sharma-led side has the perfect chance to win their first Test series ever on South African soil because of the absence of a single cricketer. Shastri referenced the brilliant record of former Proteas cricketer Vernon Philander and said that the fact that he is not part of the team automatically gives India the advantage. The fast bowler enjoyed a tremendous run of form against India during his playing career and in the five Test matches that he played at home, he ended up taking 25 wickets at an average of 18.

"This is India's best chance, you know why? Because this bloke is not playing," Shastri said pointing towards Philander during the pre-match show for Star Sports.

"We would have beaten South Africa at least twice when I came here but for this fellow. We've seen Rabada's record, and Ngidi's record. Take a look at his record as well against India. He always gets the important wickets when we don't want one to fall," Shastri added.

In 2018, Shastri was the head coach of the Indian cricket team when they were beaten 1-2 in the Test series against South Africa with Philander emerging as the top performer in the series with 15 wickets.

South Africa won the toss and sent India in to bat in the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday. The start of play was delayed by 30 minutes because of damp patches on the pitch, which had been covered since Sunday while a reported 51mm of rain fell.

"The wicket has been undercover for the past two days and there is a bit of moisture in the wicket, so we would like to make use of it," said South African captain Temba Bavuma.

South Africa opted for an all-seam attack and included two debutants