.Vice-captain and standout wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has now fully recovered from his foot ailment, returns to the team with Shubman Gill as captain. The 15-man team has been selected by the All India Men’s Senior Selection Committee for the forthcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, which will begin at home on November 14 with the opening match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Even though Dhruv Jurel has shown promise in the little chances he has had while Rishabh Pant is out, he is now expected to warm the bench and cover for the senior.
Jurel reached his first Test century in the Ahmedabad match and assumed wicketkeeping responsibilities for the entire series against the West Indies in early October.
KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will bat first, while Sai Sudharsan has been selected to bat at number three and captain Gill at number four. A spot as a backup batting option has also been awarded to Devdutt Padikkal of Karnataka, who has only appeared in a few Test matches since making his debut in March 2024. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who warmed the bench for more than two years, appears to have moved on from the Indian team, though.
The return to national duties of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had left the current tour of Australia in the middle, will signify his full recovery. The spin-bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja are part of the team selected by the selectors’ panel chaired by Ajit Agarkar.
Mohammed Siraj will be another deadly option for top bowler Jasprit Bumrah, speaking about pacers. Since Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are not available, Akash Deep is the team’s third pacer.
Guwahati will debut in a Test match with a series finale.
The ACA Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, the nation’s newest Test venue, will host the second Test, capping up the thrilling matchup between the current World Test Championship winners and two-time WTC runners-up.
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