Temba Bavuma set to return to action after injury, named in South Africa A squad for India tour

New Delhi: South Africa Test skipper Temba Bavuma is set to return to action after a calf injury as he was named in the A squad against India later this month. South Africa is currently engaged with Pakistan in a Test series and Bavuma is not part of it as he was involved in the rehabilitation process for the injury which kept him out.

Meanwhile, the right-handed batter is also not named in the ODI squad for the matches against the Men in Green so as to give him ample recovery time ahead of the all-important series in India in November. He will be though available for the second of the two first-class matches to be played in Bengaluru.

The Proteas are set to play two Test matches, three ODIs and five T20Is in India between November 14 and December 19. India are currently in Australia for a white-ball series which comprises three ODIs and five T20Is. This is going to be there second successive away tour to the subcontinent after the ongoing one in Pakistan and the second in the 2025-27 WTC cycle.

Bavuma was unable to lead them in defence of their WTC title after he strained his calf during the white-ball series in England in September.

Meanwhile, the two four-day games would be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from October 30 to November 9. Since Bavuma is not captaining, the four-day squad will be captained by batter Marques Ackerman, and includes Zubayr Hamza and Prenelan Subrayan, who are both with the Test squad in Pakistan.

On the other hand, South Africa A will also play three fifty-over matches against India A in Rajkot between November 13 and November 19. Teenage seamer Kwena Maphaka is set to make his comeback from a hamstring injury, which has kept him out of the white-ball series in Pakistan, in those matches.