The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa. The series marks the return of Rishabh Pant who had suffered a fractured toe during the IND vs ENG 4th Test in Manchester. Apart from the Test regulars, Akash Deep returns to the side while Devdutt Padikkal has also been named in the squad.
India squad for IND vs SA Tests
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
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been left out of the side once again after being excluded from the side in the series against West Indies. The Bengal batter, who’s Test debut is long awaited, was included as a part of the side for the series in England but had warmed the bench throughout. Notable exclusions apart from him include Mohammed Shami, Sarfaraz Khan and Karun Nair. All three stars are currently a part of Ranji Trophy 2025/26 and are out of the favour of selectors. Jurel has been named as the back-up wicketkeeper while Padikkal could potentially serve as the back-up number 3 batter.
Intrestingly, Prasidh Krishna – who was a part of the IND vs WI series – has been left out of the Test squad. Instead, he has been named in the squad for the ODI series against SA.
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma has been named the captain for the India A series against South Africa A. The squad does not comprise of veterans Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, as reports suggested earlier that the selectors were unlikely to pick the duo for the series. . India A will play the three one-day games in Rajkot on November 13, 16 and 19.
India A squad for ODIs vs SAA
Tilak Varma (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Prabhsimran Singh (WK)
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