The All India Men's Senior Selection Committee has picked the 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa at home, starting November 14 with the first game at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. With Shubman Gill as the captain, the team marks the return of vice-captain and star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has now recovered from his foot injury.
As a result, Dhruv Jurel is now expected to warm the bench and act as Rishabh's injury cover, despite having impressed in the limited
opportunities he has got in the senior's absence. Jurel took over the wicketkeeping duties for the full series against the West Indies in early October, and also reached his maiden Test hundred in the Ahmedabad encounter.
The openers will be Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, whereas Sai Sudharsan has been trusted to bat at No. 3, followed by skipper Gill at 4. Karnataka's Devdutt Padikkal, who has played only a couple of Tests since his debut in March 2024 has also been rewarded a place as a backup batting option. However, it now seems that the Indian team has moved on from Abhimanyu Easwaran, who had warmed the bench for over two years.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had left the ongoing tour of Australia mid-way, will be seen returning to national duties, indicating his recovery to full fitness. Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are the spin-bowling all-rounders present in the squad picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led selectors' panel.
Speaking of the pacers, star bowler Jasprit Bumrah will have another lethal option of Mohammed Siraj alongside. Meanwhile, Akash Deep is the third pacer in the squad, as Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are not around.
Guwahati to make Test debut with series decider
The epic face-off between the current World Test Championship winners and two-time WTC runners-up will conclude with the second Test at the ACA Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati — the newest Test venue in the country.
India’s Test squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), 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
