Alongside seasoned stars like Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, the selectors have named promising talents such as Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, and Nitish Kumar Reddy as well.
“Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel will fly directly to Kolkata from Brisbane. They are expected to check in by evening,” a local team manager said while speaking to PTI.
“The entire South Africa squad will also check in on Sunday,” the manager added.
The remaining Indian Test cricketers are expected to arrive in batches on Monday, with training scheduled to start from Tuesday. With the likes of Pant and KL Rahul engaged in the series against South Africa A, they will presumably be the ones to land in Kolkata on Monday.
The fifth and final T20I between India and Australia at Brisbane’s Gabba on Saturday, November 8, was washed out because of a storm, handing Suryakumar Yadav’s team a 2-1 series victory over Australia.
Before rain halted play, Gill (29 not out) and Abhishek Sharma (23 not out) had put on a brisk 52-run partnership in just under five overs.
The first Test against South Africa will be played at Eden Gardens from November 14, followed by the second in Guwahati from November 22.
India started the current World Test Championship cycle with a 2-2 draw against England away from home and a clean sweep over the Windies at home in October.
The last Test series between India and South Africa was played in December 2023-January 2024 and the series ended 1-1. The matches were played at Cape Town and Centurion.
South Africa’s Test side last toured India in October 2019, when the hosts whitewashed them 3-0 in Vizag, Pune and Ranchi.
