India captain Shubman Gill has been in sensational form in Test cricket throughout 2025. Since taking over the leadership role, he has led by example, scoring 752 runs in five Tests against England and finishing as the third-highest run-scorer in the home series against the West Indies.
Gill currently stands as India’s leading run-scorer in both the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and the tournament’s overall history, with 2839 runs to his name. He is now just 161 runs away from the 3000-run milestone, a feat no Indian has achieved in the WTC yet. Given his sparkling form, Gill is well poised to reach the landmark in the upcoming first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, beginning November 14.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unique feet
Young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been a standout performer in red-ball cricket, consistently scoring runs wherever he has played. He will be looking to carry this momentum into the upcoming series against South Africa. Interestingly, the match against the Proteas will mark Jaiswal’s 27th Test, and all of his previous appearances have been at different venues, meaning he has never played two Test matches at the same ground.
India yet to finalise playing XI
Gill confirmed that the playing XI will be decided on the morning of the match day. He highlighted that the combination is more or less finalised, but the team management will decide whether to play an extra spinner or pacer on the D-Day. He noted that the surface has changed since yesterday evening, and a decision heavily depends on if it changes again.
“It's always this time of the year, there is always a conflict if you want to go for an extra seamer or spinner. That's why we will see the condition tomorrow and decide on the XI. It's more or less finalised. The wicket looks different from yesterday. We will see it tomorrow morning and then will finalise the spin combination, as spinners, more or less, will decide the game,” Gill said in the pre-match presentation.