Pant, Akash Deep return as India announce squad for two-match Test series against South Africa
Rishabh Pant, Akash Deep return as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-member squad for the Test series against South Africa.
New Delhi: Rishabh Pant, Akash Deep return as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-member squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa, which is set to begin from November 14.
Pant replaces N Jagadeesan from the West Indies Test series, while Akash Deep comes in place of Prasidh Krishna. The wicketkeeper-batter missed India's home series against the West Indies as he was recovering from a foot fracture, which he suffered in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, in July.
He proved his match fitness by leading the India A side to victory in the first four-day game against South Africa A at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru last week. Pant scored 90 runs off 113 balls in the second innings as they chased down the 275-run target.
India's Test skipper Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are currently involved in the five-match T20I series against Australia, and will join the Test squad after the series concludes on November 8.
Spinner Kuldeep Yadav was released from the T20I squad after the third game in Hobart to prepare for the Test series by playing India A's second match against South Africa A, beginning on November 6.
The Men in Blue will play two Test matches against South Africa from November 14 in Kolkata, and then from November 22 in Guwahati. Shubman Gill and Co. are currently third in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with 61.90% points, and South Africa are fifth with 50% points, having recently drawn a series 1-1 in Pakistan.
India’s Test squad for Test series against South Africa
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
The BCCI has also announced the India A's one-day team for the three-match series against South Africa A, which will begin on November 13 in Rajkot. Tilak Varma will lead the side, and Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named as the vice-captain. Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana will join the team after the Australia tour.
India A squad for one-day series against South Africa A
Tilak Varma (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Prabhsimran Singh (WK).