Former India opener Gautam Gambhir said that the onus will be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to deliver well with the bat for India in the upcoming Test series against South Africa. The two teams will play against each other in two Tests, with the first game starting in Centurion on Tuesday, December 26 as well. India, who have never won a Test series there, will hope to end that drought this time as well.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir said: “Pace, bounce and seam. I believe your batting will definitely be under pressure because South Africa probably do not have the same batting they had in 2011 but their bowling still has the might – (Kagiso) Rabada, (Gerald) Coetzee, (Nandre) Burger and Marco Jansen. I believe the pressure will be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli because they have that experience. Bowlers definitely win you the series in South Africa but if your batters don’t put runs on the board, you won’t be able to create pressure for your bowlers.”

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However, Gautam Gambhir opined on the fact that barring Rohit and Kohli, the visitors have an inexperienced batting lineup as well. He also added that while Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer would be playing their first Tests in South Africa, KL Rahul might be playing as a wicketkeeper-batter for the first time.

“A good series is expected because India also have the bowling which will test the South African batting in their conditions. The pressure will be on two fast bowlers as well. Along with Jasprit Bumrah, it will be the first (second) tour for Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna, if he plays,” Gautam Gambhir concluded. “So don’t talk about the batting only, the bowling will be under as much pressure, because there will be expectations from bowling. If Mohammed Shami had been there, India would have been all-out favorites. Mohammed Siraj is still young. So I believe your bowling will be tested as much as your batting.”