The Indian cricket team have announced their squads for the fourth and fifth test match against South Africa to be held in Nagpur (25th-29th November) and Delhi (3rd – 7th December) respectively.
Crucial Test:
The third Test match begins on November 25 which will be a crucial for both teams as an Indian win will seal the series and a South Africa win will level it, with the decider set to be played in Delhi next month.
India’s fast bowler Ishant Sharma is back into the squad as the Nagpur pitch is thought to be a pace-friendly, it will not be surprising to see if the Hosts retain the same squad for the crucial test at Nagpur.
India might look to play it safe by bringing third spinner Amit Mishra instead of Stuart Binny, keeping in mind to win the series.
The Indian skipper Virat Kohli would prefer Bhuvneshwar Kumar under such conditions. He is known for to make full use of the new ball. Plus, he also has an excellent record against the left-handers which could help him to get the early breakthroughs.
As of now, India is leading the series 1-0, after winning the first test match in Mohali by 108 runs. The second test match which was held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was drawn after continuous rain affecting four days of play.
With Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Gurkeerat Singh earned a call into the 17-man squad, after the trio were released before the second test for their respective Ranji teams.
India Team: Virat Kohli (captain), M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Stuart Binny and Gurkeerat Singh.