Mohammed Shami will not play in the two-match Test series against South Africa because he is still recovering from an ankle injury.
For India, Shami’s absence is a major setback. He was the team’s top wicket-taker on their previous tour there in 2021–22, taking 14 scalps from three Tests
His ability to generate pace and extract movement from the conditions has been instrumental in India’s overseas campaigns.
Although Shami’s replacement has not yet been announced, the selectors will now soon announce the replacement of pacer Mohammed Shami.
India will play a three-match ODI series against South Africa before gearing up for the Test series. But with swing bowler Deepak Chahar out of the lineup, the ODI team has suffered a blow.
Chahar, a crucial component of India’s limited-overs setup, has been forced to pull out of the ODI squad due to a family emergency. In his place, the BCCI has called up Bengal seamer Akash Deep to fill the void.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who was initially part of the ODI squad, is set to transition to the Test squad after the completion of the first ODI.
Iyer’s focus will shift to preparing for the upcoming IND vs SA Test series, and he will be unavailable for the second and third ODIs.
Increasing the challenges for the Indian team, head coach Rahul Dravid, along with batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T. Dilip, will not be available during the ODI series.
Instead, they will link up with the Test squad to oversee preparations for the inter-squad game and the subsequent Test series.
To manage coaching responsibilities during the ODIs, the Indian team will be assisted by the coaching staff from India A, including batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Rajib Datta, and fielding coach Ajay Ratra.
The three-match ODI series is scheduled to commence on December 17 (Sunday), which might be a challenging tour for the Indian cricket team due to some notable absentees.
India’s updated ODI squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep
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