Shikhar, Saha, Ashwin may make way for Parthiv, Rahane, Ishant

Ajinkya Rahane

When it comes to Virat Kohli, it is always safe to expect the unexpected. In 33 Test matches that he has been captain, only one player has starred in all - himself. And, with India 0-1 down and moving from the green pitch of Newlands to the brown, hard surface at Centurion that is expected to offer little or nothing to the spinners, India were poised to ring in the changes.

Parthiv Patel

While nothing had been decided when India came to practice, and ahead of the second Test the training and net session was far from optional and every single player attended, it was clear that India were toying with multiple changes. Cricketing logic, along with this team's penchant for taking bold calls, means that it was likely that Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha would miss out, allowing Parthiv Patel to open with M Vijay, maintaining a left-right combination, while putting Ajinkya Rahane back in his place at No. 5.

Ishant Sharma

It may seem extreme to contemplate going into a Test match without a spinner, but the additional bounce of Ishant Sharma could come in handy on this surface, and R Ashwin would be the man to miss out if India decided to go all pace. Of course, Kohli insisted that there was no need to panic, which meant that the team might not do anything quite so radical, and perhaps only bring in KL Rahul in place of Dhawan.

In India's extended net session, special attention was paid to Parthiv, who batted long, and then underwent a wicketkeeping drill with R Sridhar, the fielding coach, while Rahane stood at slip and practiced catching. All this time, Saha was either an onlooker, or the one helping with throw-downs, a fair hint that he would not be taking the field come match morning.

Rahul was another who was put through the paces, one of the first to get a hit in the nets, but, you read too much into that at your own risk. South Africa's selection situation was far more settled, with Faf du Plessis needing to find a replacement for Dale Steyn, who suffered a freak foot injury in the first Test. The obvious choice would be to hand a debut to Lungi Ngidi, the tall right-arm fast bowler who routinely hits 145kmh. But, South Africa could also take a more balanced approach, bringing in Chris Morris, the all-rounder, who brings a lot to the table with the bat and is an exceptional slip fielder. Either way, South Africa will be confident of taking 20 wickets on this surface. Putting big runs on the board will be a less straightforward affair.

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