India's playing 11 from the last time they played South Africa in a Test in Kolkata - where are they now?

India will take on South Africa in the first of the two-match Test series, scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, beginning on Friday, November 14. The Men in Blue will be looking to continue their impressive form following their 2-0 clean sweep against the West Indies in October. However, the reigning World Test Champions (WTC), South Africa, will pose a different challenge to the hosts.

Having said that, the Proteas have failed to win a Test series in India since 1999-2000, when they won 2-0. On the other hand, Team India won three out of the last five series, excluding the 2007/08 and 2009/10 series. Both series ended in 1-1 draws.

Notably, the Proteas will play their first red-ball series in India since the 2019/20 series, when they lost 0-3.

With the 2025 series opener at Eden Gardens, we take a look at India's playing XI when they last faced South Africa at the same venue in 2010. Notably, the MS Dhoni-led side won the match by an innings and 57 runs. Now, Shubman Gill and company will be looking to do a repeat in 2025.

Top order- Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, and Murali Vijay

India’s current head coach Gautam Gambhir opened with swashbuckling batter Virender Sehwag in the 2010 Test against South Africa. Meanwhile, Murali Vijay played at No. 3. It was that time when neither Virat Kohli (2011) nor Rohit Sharma (2013) made their Test debut.

In the match, Gambhir managed 25 runs off 38 balls, but Sehwag looked dominant. The latter slammed 165 runs off 174 balls with the help of two sixes and 23 fours. Vijay flopped with the bat, departing for just seven runs off 15 balls he faced.

Sehwag and Vijay have been working as commentators and analysts since they announced their retirements in 2015 and 2023, respectively. Meanwhile, Gambhir retired from all forms of cricket in 2018. He took charge as head coach of the Men in Blue after the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Middle order – Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Subramaniam Badrinath, and MS Dhoni

Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were India’s batting mainstay at No. 4 and 5, respectively. Tendulkar slammed 106 off 206 deliveries, comprising 12 boundaries. Meanwhile, Laxman scored 143 not out off 260 balls with the help of 16 boundaries.

Notably, Laxman and Tendulkar retired in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Laxman currently serves as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), while Tendulkar is the icon player of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI). He also serves as a part-time mentor of the five-time champions.

Subramanian Badrinath and MS Dhoni played at No. 6 and 8, respectively. While Badrinath flopped with the bat, managing just one run, Dhoni slammed an unbeaten 132 off 187 deliveries, hitting three sixes and 12 boundaries. He shared an unbeaten 259-run partnership with Laxman for the seventh wicket. Notably, Amit Mishra was promoted above Dhoni at No. 7; he scored 28 off 38 balls.

Notably, Badrinath announced his retirement in 2018. Meanwhile, Dhoni bid adieu to Tests in 2014 after the Boxing Day Test match in Australia mid-series. Badrinath currently works as a commentator and cricket pundit, while Dhoni still plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL.

Bowlers – Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Ishant Sharma

Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh were the specialist spinners in the last Test against the Proteas at Eden Gardens. The duo spun a web for the visiting batters. Harbhajan Singh bagged eight wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. Amit Mishra also scalped four wickets, including a three-for in the second.

Among speedsters, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma picked up four and three wickets, respectively, in the contest.

Mishra has started his YouTube channel where he analyses the Indian Cricket Team’s performance following his retirement from all forms of cricket in September 2025. Meanwhile, Harbhajan works as a commentator and owns a YouTube channel. The off-spin legend retired in 2021.

Notably, Zaheer retired from international cricket in 2015. He was last associated with IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their mentor. On the contrary, Ishant played for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025.

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Edited by James Kuanal