The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the Indian squad for the upcoming two-match IDFC First Bank Test series against South Africa, marking the return of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant after a three-month absence. Pant, who had been rested for recent assignments to manage workload following his full recovery from injury, will serve as vice-captain and wicketkeeper for the series.
The Men’s Senior Selection Committee named Shubman Gill as captain for the Test series, with Pant as his deputy. The squad also includes 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.
Pant’s inclusion comes as a major boost for India’s middle order and wicketkeeping department. His return adds much-needed balance and experience ahead of what promises to be a challenging contest against a strong South African side.
The Test series schedule will be announced separately by the BCCI, while the selection panel also revealed the India A squad for a three-match one-day series against South Africa A, to be held in Rajkot.
The India A one-day team will be led by Tilak Varma, with Ruturaj Gaikwad as vice-captain. The squad features a blend of young and in-form players such as Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Ishan Kishan, Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, and Prabhsimran Singh.
The return of Rishabh Pant, known for his aggressive batting and match-turning ability, will be closely watched as India prepares for yet another overseas challenge.
