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SA win toss and bat first in Second Test at Kolkata

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Live Scorecard and Commentary of this match can be followed at http://live.cricketfundas.com

Graeme Smith KolkataToss and Teams : Graeme Smith seems to have recovered from his finger injury and he has won the toss as well. South Africa have elected to bat first as expected and they have one forced change in Wicket Keeper Mark Boucher going out with his back spasm. AB de Villiers takes on the gloves in his place while Alviro Petersen makes his Test Debut. India have surprisingly not included Sreesanth and have stuck to the same line-up except for VVS Laxman returning back in place of Saha.

Pitch Report : Well there was news about the Eden Gardens pitch having plenty of grass. But right now most of it has disappeared so that the South African pace attack doesn’t get the advantage. However, there are a few grassy patches on the pitch which should assist the seam bowlers. Sunil Gavaskar reckons that this pitch may not be a featherbed and the batsmen need to be patient in piling up the runs. Not sure how its going to be for the spinners but certainly they will come into play only from the third and fourth days.

Swing will be the main weapon in this Test Match as the ground is not fully covered. There are vast open stands because of the renovation work. That should help the ball in darting along. However, reverse swing may not be a huge factor in this Test as the outfield looks lush green and the pitch not that dry.