The third and final Test between South Africa at Newlands is the Proteas’ biggest five-day match in “10 or even 15 years” according to captain Dean Elgar.
Starting at 10am today, the stage could not be set any better.
Opposing South Africa will be an India team buoyed by the return to fitness of star batsman and captain Virat Kohli, who missed the second Test - a match SA won by seven wickets to level the series 1-1 after India had won the first match by 113 runs - because of injury.
Looking for their first Test series win on SA soil, the world’s number one five-day team will be out to bounce back after suffering defeat at the Wanderers.
SA, though, have no shortage of motivation to win the series in what will be pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada’s 50th Test match.
Captain Elgar explains: “This Test match is potentially the biggest we’ve had in 10 or maybe even 15 years… I don’t think it’s going to lack intensity and you have to maintain that throughout five days…
“We saw at the Wanderers the minute we brought the intensity, it almost flustered India quite a lot and that can play in our favour and it will be silly of us not to try and replicate that or even bring more intensity into the next game.”
Of what a series win will mean for SA, Elgar adds: “It would be the biggest Test win in my playing career so far.
“Obviously that comes with leadership and captaincy, having more influence with regards to our players group.
“From a players group point of view it would be massive for us, we’ve put in so much hard work in the last few months...
“For us, winning this series 2-1 is huge - beating World No.1 - is gonna speak massive amounts for the players group going forward and the Proteas badge.”