IND vs SA: 3 major names missing as BCCI announce squad; Rahane sacked as Test deputy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) announced India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa, which starts on December 26, 2021, as a part of the second cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. As India travels to South Africa, the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Shardul Thakur made their way back to the Indian squad after missing the two-match Test series against New Zealand. 

BCCI announced the 18-member squad for the Test along with three standby players. At the same time, another talking point of the squad was Ajinkya Rahane being sacked as the vice-captain, with Rohit taking his place. Meanwhile, BCCI informed that players like Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and Rahul Chahar were not available for selection because they have been undergoing rehabilitation to recover from their injuries. 

India's squad for three-Test match series-

India’s 18-man Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj.

Standby Players- Standby Players: Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla

(Instagram Image: @indiancricketteam)