India in South Africa 2018: Watch out for the top 5 Indians

As we near the end of 2017, a year that proved to be a fruitful one for Indian cricket, we are anticipating the Men in Blue to kickstart 2018 with a victory.

All eyes are on the upcoming Tour of South Africa in early January, with the first match set to begin on January 5, 2018. India will play hard and look to win their first series in South Africa, a feat they have not yet achieved ever since their first tour in 1992-93 after the Proteas were reinstated.

Team India's squad looks quite promising and with good home seasons against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, they are at the top of their game.

India has a good mix of experience and youth with Jaspreet Bumrah being included in the Test squad for the first time. The squad also features Parthiv Patel as a reserve keeper. Here are five players who are expected to lead the charge in South Africa:

#5. Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma has been impressive in away Tests

Ishant Sharma has played more Tests away than at home. The tall paceman has featured in 47 games abroad out of 79 games he has played. Pacers are important in South Africa as the conditions favour the quick bowlers with good bounce and swing.

He will be the key in India's attack, and his experience will bolster India's chances to make amends for the previous tour. He has a good record abroad, grabbing 146 wickets at an average of 37.56 but South Africa has not been very kind to him as he has only 12 wickets in 5 games. His experience abroad must help him get the better of the South African batting line-up.

#4. Cheteshwar Pujara

Pujara had a wonderful 2017

Cheteshwar Pujara is key to India's success at the top of the order. He has had a splendid year with the bat, notching 1140 runs with four centuries in 11 Test matches. He will look to replicate the performance in South Africa. Averaging 44.42 in South Africa in 7 innings, he has a better record comparing his average of 38.52 in all away Tests.

He has compiled a total of 4396 runs in 54 Test matches with 14 hundreds at an average of 52.96. Pujara is the mainstay of the Indian batting and his performance will play a decisive role in the series.

He brings in class with a composed temperament which has been the key to his success. We can expect Cheteshwar Pujara to start the overseas campaign witha top performance to take India ahead in the series. His performance in South Africa will boost his confidence for the tour-packed 2018 season.

#3. Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is the vice captain of the Test team

Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane has a better away record than his home record with his average of 53.44 abroad holding a better figure than his overall average of 44.15 in 43 Tests, scoring six of his nine centuries on foreign soil.

Ajinkya Rahane will be the mainstay of the Indian batting in this series. He will try to hit back at his critics with some good performances in the tour. He averages 69.66 in 2 Tests he has played in South Africa, though he doesn't have a century to his name; in the upcoming tour, he will look to change those stats with a big hundred upfront.

He must play his dominating best to seal his position in the side. Ajinkya is a technically sound player and that is what puts him apart from many others. He has played a pivotal role many times, leading the charge whenever his team has needed it. Let's hope he gives us a good package of performances to cherish.

#2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar will spearhead the Indian bowling attack

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been in splendid form at home and is set to lead the Indian pace attack along with Ishant Sharma. Though only 19 Tests old, he has shown a lot of maturity with the new ball. He has also increased his pace and is a threat to the batsman with his ability to swing the ball both ways.

This will be his second tour of South Africa, but he did not get a game in the previous one. He will look to make good use of the opportunity and give his team early breakthroughs to gain the upper hand in the series. His best figures of 6/82 have also come abroad, when he rattled the English batting at Lord's. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has also upped his batting game recently, pulling India out of trouble with decent scores at the bottom.

Bhuvi, as he is called by his teammates and fans, has to be at his best to provide India the edge.

#1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has a batting average of over 50 in all three formatsIndian skipper VIrat Kohli is considered the best batsman in the world today. He has amassed over five thousand runs in Test cricket at an average of 53.75.

He has dominated the bowlers in all parts of the world, with Australia being his favourite destination where he has five centuries to his credit. Though he has played only two games in South Africa, he has an impressive average of 68 with a hundred and a fifty under his belt.

It will be interesting to see Virat Kohli play in South Africa and get the runs. He gets them with such ease that he has dominated all forms of the game. Kohli is the No.1 ranked batsman in ODIs and T20Is while he is just behind Steve Smith in the Test rankings.

A good performance in South Africa will give him a chance to be at the top of all rankings while aiding India to mark a series win in South Africa and pave way to a great away season in 2018.