India v South Africa 2019: Likely first-team eleven for the hosts in the first Test

#4. Bowlers (Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah)

Ishant Sharma.

Ishant Sharma, who has been the workhorse of the Indian pace attack in recent years is expected to feature in the side for the first Test at Visakhapatnam. Since 2018, the right-arm pacer has scalped 52 wickets in just 13 matches, with an average of less than 20. However, the 31-year-old paceman has not tasted a lot of success in India, where he has got just 84 wickets in 61 innings. The Delhi-born bowler will look to improve his mediocre record in India.

Last but not least, it is Jasprit Bumrah in this list. The 25-year-old paceman, who has already achieved great heights in his short career, will lead the Indian bowling attack in this series. The right-arm fast bowler has picked up a five-wicket haul in each country he has played in but has new challenges to face ahead. This series will be the first home series of Bumrah in red-ball cricket and he will have to bowl in non-pacer friendly conditions.

The Ahemdabad-born Bumrah has got everything in his armory as a bowler and should taste fair success even on Indian pitches. Since 2018, the number three Test bowler in the world has picked up 62 wickets in the traditional form of the game, which is the highest for any Indian bowler in this period.