Rishabh Pant returns for South Africa Tests, Akash Deep also back

Rishabh Pant will make his international comeback in the two-Test series versus ICC World Test Championship winners South Africa later this month after being named in a 15-man squad by the BCCI. 

Pant had been sidelined since this summer’s tour of England, when which he fractured a foot while batting during the fourth Test at Old Trafford. After completing his rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre for Excellence, Pant last week played for India A against South Africa A in an unofficial four-day Test and scored 90 in the second innings.

From the squad picked for the home series against West Indies last month, reserve wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan and pace bowler Prasidh Krishna drop out with Pant and Akash Deep recalled. Akash Deep has also not played a Test since the England tour, having picked up a back injury. He proved his fitness in two Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal.  

Dhruv Jurel, who scored his maiden Test century in the series versus West Indies, is the second wicketkeeper in the squad. The rest of the squad retains the same look as from that series, which India won 2-0 to sit at third place on the ICC WTC table. 

South Africa are at fifth following their 1-1 series draw in Pakistan recently. This is their first tour to India to play Tests since 2019, when India won 3-0. 

The first Test against South Africa is at Eden Gardens from November 14, followed by the second in Guwahati from the 22nd. This is the first time that Guwahati will host a Test match. 

India Test squad: Shubman Gill (capt), Rishabh Pant (vc/wk), 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