It’s going to be a test of character for both India and South Africa in the inaugural match of Champions Trophy 2013. Both the teams know each other's strengths and weaknesses very well and would be looking to make the most of it in this contest. But the real test is of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and AB De Villiers who would be having a lot at stake in one of the most crunch matches of the Champions Trophy.

Here we bring to you the players to watch out for in the opening match of Champions Trophy 2013 to be played between India and South Africa.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Captain Cool would be looking to make a strong impact in the game especially after the off-field controversies. He has that ability to make his team do wonders especially when they are underrated. The only problem that he might face is of the team selection, especially for the No. 6 and 7 spot.

Hashim Amla: Getting Amla’s wicket is going to be a hard nut to crack because of his watertight defence which can deflate any pace attack. It’s going to be interesting to see that how Dhoni would exercise his pace battery against him. Amla is quite used to playing big innings and if he gets going in the initial 8-10 overs, then he might turn out to be a big headache for India.

Virat Kohli: Kohli has been in brilliant form off-late and would be looking to make the most of Dale Steyn’s absence. He has the ability to adjust his technique really well and can play the long innings with quite ease. He is the backbone of the Indian batting and if he get to form in this match, then it’s can be an ideal start for the Indian team.

AB De Villiers: He is the best bet for South Africa in this tournament, especially when his team will be missing the services of Jacques Kallis. He has that ability to play according to the situation and can be very hard to tackle in the last 15 overs or so. Apart from his dexterity in batting; he needs to make the best use of bowlers available to him. With the likes of Miller and Duminy in the lower-order, he would be quite relieved.

Umesh Yadav: Yadav was absolutely magical against the Australia in the warm-up game and would be looking to put another good show. His ability to bowl at 140+ pace makes him the best available option for Dhoni to attack the opposition batsmen. If he could get the purchase from the wicket in his first spell, then India’s chances of winning this game would be become higher.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe: He has that ability to make the ball move both in the air as well as of the pitch which might trouble the Indian top-order. He has been bowling really well in these conditions and can surely make the road tougher for Indian batsmen.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Bhuvneshwar has not been able to make the most of the English conditions but has done well to contain the batsman which is required especially when the speedster like Umesh is bowling from the other end. He has that knack of picking up early wickets but he needs to pitch the ball bit much fuller to get the best out of the pitch.

Ryan McLaren: McLaren was brilliant with the bat in last warm-up game against Pakistan and can also give his side breakthroughs in mid overs by rolling his arm over. He has been a cog in the wheel for Proteas pace attack and has all the ability to dismantle even the best of the batting line-ups.

Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network