India squad for 2-match test series against South Africa announced; Rohit Sharma to lead

South Africa will host India for two tests, part of the ICC WTC 2023-25, starting December 26 2023 in Centurion.

India are scheduled to participate in a 2-match Test series against South Africa following the T20I and ODI series. The first Test is set to take place from December 26th to December 30th, and the second Test is scheduled for January 03rd to January 07th.

In their previous Test series encounter, which occurred in South Africa during 2021-2022, South Africa emerged victorious with a 2-1 series win.

With World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake, BCCI has announced a full-strength squad.

India’s squad for Test series against South Africa announced

India have announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa, with Rohit Sharma continuing as the captain. This series marks India’s second participation in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, following their previous success with a 1-0 victory over West Indies away in July.

Notably, the experienced batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been left out, making room for the fit Shreyas Iyer. While Rahane played in the WTC final and toured the West Indies, Cheteshwar Pujara remains sidelined after missing the Caribbean tour. The pace bowling attack is expected to include Jasprit Bumrah, who is making a return to Test cricket, alongside Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in the likely playing XI.

However, Shami’s availability depends on his fitness, as he is currently undergoing medical treatment. The selected squad for the two-match Test series features the preferred spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, and additional spots in the Test squad are secured by pace bowlers Shardul Thakur, Mukesh Kumar, and Prasidh Krishna.

Notably, KL Rahul has been designated as the wicket-keeper of the side along with Ishan Kishan, while KS Bharat has been left out. Jasprit Bumrah has been handed the vice-captaincy for the tour.

India squad for Test series against South Africa

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd. Shami*, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna.

South Africa vs India 2-match Test series schedule

1st Test, Dec 26 – Dec 30, Centurion (1:30 PM IST, 10:00 AM LOCAL)

2nd Test, Jan 3 – Jan 7, 2024 , Cape Town (2:00 PM IST, 10:30 AM LOCAL)

In Test Cricket, India and South Africa are closely matched. Out of the 42 total Test matches played between them, South Africa have won 17, India have won 15, and 10 matches ended in draws.

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