The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday announced the 15-member squad for India's upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, with the return of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Pant, who missed the previous Test series against the West Indies due to a fractured right foot sustained during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in July, has been named the vice-captain alongside skipper Shubman Gill.
Pant's successfully demonstrated his fitness during his comeback as captain for the India A team in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bengaluru. In the match, played from October 30 to November 2, the wicketkeeper kept wickets for 139.3 overs across two innings and hit a crucial 90 off 113 balls in the second innings to guide India A to a three-wicket victory. The 28-year-old replaces N Jagadeesan in the senior Test squad.
The other change sees pacer Akash Deep return to the fold, replacing Prasidh Krishna, after recovering from an injury that kept him out of the West Indies Tests.
The two-match series is scheduled to begin on November 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, followed by the second Test in Guwahati from November 22. This will be a historic moment as Guwahati hosts its first-ever Test match.
Several key players like Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar are set to join the Test squad after completing their commitments in the ongoing T20I series in Australia, which concludes on November 8. Spin bowler Kuldeep Yadav was released early after the third T20I to prepare for the Test series by participating in India A's second four-day game against South Africa A.
A notable omission from the squad is veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who has been overlooked despite returning to action and impressing in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. Shami, who had missed the West Indies series as well, took a total of eight wickets in Bengal's win over Gujarat, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. His childhood coach, Mohammed Badruddin, had declared that Shami was "back in his old rhythm." However, the senior pacer did not find a place in the 15-member list.
The full India squad for the South Africa Test series is: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc/wk), 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.