Gill, Bumrah lead early arrivals ahead of South Africa Test series

Team India’s preparations for the much-anticipated Test series against South Africa will begin in full swing this week, with skipper Shubman Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah among the first batch of players set to arrive in Kolkata on Sunday evening.

Gill, along with Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, will fly in directly from Brisbane following the conclusion of India’s T20I series against Australia. A local team official confirmed that the quartet will check in by Sunday evening, coinciding with the arrival of the full South African contingent.

The rest of the Indian Test squad will join in phases on Monday, with the first training session scheduled for Tuesday at the iconic Eden Gardens, which will host the opening Test from November 14. The second and final match of the series will be played in Guwahati from November 22.

India wrapped up the T20I leg of their Australian tour earlier this week, winning the five-match series 2–1 after the final game at Brisbane’s Gabba was washed out due to heavy rain. Before the interruption, Gill (29) and Abhishek Sharma (23) had given India a flying start with a 52-run partnership in under five overs.

The upcoming series marks India’s third assignment in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, following a hard-fought 2–2 draw against England and a clean sweep over the West Indies at home.

In the ongoing 2025–27 World Test Championship, India are ranked 3rd with a 61.90% PCT, while South Africa stand 4th with 50.00%.