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Markram in race to be fit for Wanderers Test

South Africa opener picked up a mild left-quadricep strain in Centurion and did not take the field in India's second innings

Firdose Moonda
Firdose Moonda
16-Jan-2018
BCCI

BCCI

South Africa opener Aiden Markram is in a race against time to be fit for the third Test against India after sustaining a mild thigh (left-quadricep) strain. Markram did not take the field for India's second innings in Centurion and will receive treatment and rehabilitation over the next week.
South Africa's medical team is hopeful he will be fit for the Johannesburg Test, which starts next Wednesday. Theuis de Bruyn fielded in his place at SuperSport Park.
Markram has made a strong start to his Test career, with two centuries and two scores in the 90s - one of which came in this match - in five Tests. He has provided solid support to Dean Elgar, who battled to find a permanent partner after Alviro Petersen retired in January 2014. If Markram is unavailable for the Johannesburg match, it will present South Africa with a major selection challenge, mostly because there are no other obvious options in the opening-batsman department.
One possibility would be to ask Temba Bavuma, who has been released from the Test squad in order to play in a domestic one-day match on Wednesday, to do the job. Bavuma has opened once before in Tests, against India in Delhi in late 2015, where he did give a relatively solid account of himself.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent