When India last toured South Africa in
2017-18, the hosts were considerably experienced and strong team as the likes
of AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel
made India perish 2-1.

However, in the last three years South
African cricket has undergone a lot of changes with the current government
interfering in the matter of sports. Due to the interference, senior cricketers
like du Plessis and de Villiers hanged their boots and many youngsters made
their debuts.

Also Read: SA vs India: Top 5 Test innings played by Indian batters in South Africa

In the current Test squad for the India
series, there are as many as six uncapped players in an expanded squad,
including three fast bowlers in Glenton Stuurman, Marco Jansen and Sisanda
Magala. The other uncapped players are batsmen Sarel Erwee and Ryan Rickelton
and off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen.

With the first Test of a three-match series starting Sunday at the SuperSport Park in Centurion, Opoyi has picked up five little
known South African players who could make big impacts against India.

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Duanne
Olivier

A Kolpak returnee right-arm fast bowler
Duanne Olivier’s excellent domestic form has helped him break into the Proteas’
squad for the Test series against India. Having spent three seasons with the
English county Yorkshire on a Kolpak deal, the 29-year-old pacer made a
remarkable return to the South African domestic circuit this season. He has
taken 28 wickets at an average of 11.10 in four first-class matches for the
Johannesburg-based Lions team.

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Olivier’s ability to generate express pace
and uneven bounce can pose a serious challenge to Indian batters at lively
conditions in Centurion, Johannesburg and Cape Town, the venues for the three
Tests.  With someone like Anrich Nortje
ruled out with injury, Olivier could play a big role for the Proteas.

Wiaan
Mulder

Wiaan Mulder is an all-rounder who has the
ability to play an important role for his team both with the bat and ball. He
averages 21.07 with the ball and has taken 14 wickets in six Test matches that
he has played so far. However, Mulder has failed to show his batting prowess
with 143 runs under his belt only so far.

Also Read: SA vs India: Bumrah, Shami on the verge of achieving massive Test feats

The 23-year-old Mulder will look to exploit
the green patches of his country to cement his place in the Proteas side.

Keegan
Petersen

A top-order batter, Keegan Petersen made
his Test debut against the West Indies earlier this year. He is expected to
retain the No 3 position against India in the forthcoming three-match Test
series. He will be on the radar of the South Africa team management to
ascertain his suitability at the highest level after his mediocre outing
against the West Indies.

Also Read: South Africa vs India Test series: 5 Proteas players to watch out for

The 28-year-old Keegan Petersen is known
for his aggressive style of batting. He came into the limelight in the 2018-19
domestic season when he scored 923 runs at an average of 61.53. His performance
earned him a call-up to the national squad for the 2019-20 season, but he
failed to make it into the XI ahead of Rassie van der Dussen and Zubayr Hamza.

Rassie
van der Dussen

Rassie van der Dussen has been South
Africa’s middle-order mainstay since his Test debut against England in December
2019. A right-arm batter, van der Dussen has so far scored 610 runs in 10 Test
matches with a score of 98 being his highest.

Also Read: South Africa vs India Test series: 5 Indian players to watch out for

However, van der Dussen’s success has
largely been in white-ball cricket, now he is expected to shine against a
formidable Indian side.

George Linde

The left-arm all-rounder George Linde is
well aware of his counterparts since he made his debut against India in October
2019 in Ranchi. He fared reasonably well for South Africa A against India A
last month by scoring 96 runs and taking three wickets with his slow left-arm
orthodox bowling.

Also Read: Zaheer Khan hails this Indian bowler as ‘truly world-class’ ahead of South Africa tour

Linde, however, may have to wait to find a
space in the South African team as Keshav Maharaj will be the Proteas’
preferred choice due to his experience in international cricket. The
30-year-old Linde won the hearts of fans when he played through pain against
Pakistan in Rawalpindi earlier this year.