Rishabh Pant returns as India announce squad for South Africa Tests
Pant has been out of action since India's fourth Test against England in July
MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced a 15-member squad for the two-match home Test series against South Africa, scheduled to get underway on November 14 in Kolkata.
The squad marked the return of vice-captain Pant, who has been out of action since sustaining a foot injury during the fourth Test of India’s five-match away series against England in July.
Pant subsequently missed India’s two-match home Test series against West Indies last month.
The 28-year-old recently showcased his match fitness by captaining India A to victory in the first four-day game against South Africa A at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
He scored 90 in the second innings as India A successfully chased down a target of 275.
Furthermore, right-arm pacer Akash Deep also made his return to the India Test squad after recovering from a back injury, which had kept him out of the Duleep Trophy and the West Indies series after returning from England.
The 28-year-old recently represented Bengal in the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy.
India’s Test captain Shubman Gill, along with Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar, are currently featuring in the T20I series in Australia.
They are expected to join the Test squad after the five-match series concludes on November 8.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav was released from the T20I squad after the third match in Hobart to prepare for the Test series by playing in India A’s second four-day game against South Africa A, starting November 6.
The two Tests against South Africa will take place from November 14 in Kolkata and from November 22 in Guwahati, which will host Test cricket for the first time.
India currently sits third in the World Test Championship table with 61.90% of the points, while South Africa is fifth with 50% of the points, having most recently drawn a series 1-1 in Pakistan.
India's Test squad for South Africa series
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 and Akash Deep.
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