India’s captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against South Africa at the I.S. Bindra stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
India went in with three spinners and two fast bowlers on a dry pitch that is expected to break up as the match progresses.
The Proteas were without the injured Morne Morkel for the first match in the four-Test series, allowing promising young fast bowler Kagiso Rabada to make his debut.
Rabada joins Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander in a three-man pace attack, supported by two spinners in leg-spinner Imran Tahir and off-break bowler Simon Harmer.
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron.
South Africa: Hashim Amla (capt), Dean Elgar, Stiaan van Zyl, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, Dane Vilas, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir.
Umpires: Kumar Dharamsena (SRI) and Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
TV umpire: Vineet Kulkarni (IND)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)