All eyes are on Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens as the Indian cricket team prepares to lock horns with South Africa in the first Test match starting Friday. Alongside the crucial team objective of securing a win in the ICC World Test Championship, the series opener holds special significance for three key Indian players who are on the cusp of achieving major individual landmarks.
Pivotal Milestones Await Indian Stars
The Indian squad enters this contest with strong recent form in red-ball cricket, having secured a victory against the West Indies at home and a hard-fought drawn series against England prior to that. This match, however, adds a layer of personal motivation for skipper Shubman Gill, the returning KL Rahul, and the prolific all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Shubman Gill's Charge Towards 3000 Runs
Captain Shubman Gill, who has been in sublime touch throughout the year, is just 161 runs away from the 3,000-run mark in Test cricket. The right-handed batsman has been a pillar of the Indian batting line-up, amassing 2,839 runs in 39 matches at an impressive average of 43.01. His career includes 10 centuries and eight fifties, with a monumental best score of 269. The year 2025 has been particularly spectacular for Gill, where he has already scored 979 runs in just 15 innings at a staggering average of 69.92, including five hundreds and a half-century.
KL Rahul Nears the 4000-Run Club
Making a comeback to the Test side as a reliable opener, KL Rahul is tantalizingly close to a significant career milestone. He requires only 15 more runs to complete 4,000 runs in the longest format of the game. In his 65 Test appearances, Rahul has accumulated 3,985 runs at an average of 36.55, which includes 11 centuries and 20 half-centuries. His highest score remains 199. Remarkably, 2025 has been his most productive year in Test cricket, where he has piled up 745 runs in eight Tests at an average of 53.21, featuring three centuries and three fifties.
Ravindra Jadeja's All-Round Double
Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja stands on the brink of a rare and illustrious double. With the bat, he has scored 3,990 runs in 87 Tests at an average of 38.73, including six centuries and 27 fifties. With the ball, he is merely 12 wickets away from the 350-wicket mark. Achieving this feat will make him only the second Indian after the legendary Kapil Dev to accomplish the incredible combination of 4,000 runs and 350 wickets in Test cricket, cementing his status as one of the game's modern greats.
As the teams gear up for this highly anticipated clash, these individual pursuits add a compelling narrative to India's campaign. The pursuit of personal glory, intertwined with the team's ambition to strengthen its World Test Championship standing, promises a thrilling contest at the hallowed Eden Gardens.
India squad for first Test: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne.
