All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from India’s squad for the first Test against South Africa, beginning November 14 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. The decision was announced through a media advisory issued by the BCCI on Wednesday. Reddy will link up with the India A squad for the upcoming One-day series against South Africa A in Rajkot, scheduled from November 13 to 19 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. He is expected to rejoin the senior team for the second Test in Guwahati after the conclusion of the ‘A’ series.
The move comes as India fine-tune their combination ahead of a crucial two-Test series against the reigning World Test Champions. India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that the management had a clear plan in place for the opening game. “I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of the combination,” Ten Doeschate said at the pre-match press conference in Kolkata. He also hinted that team balance and conditions had influenced the selection calls. “The primary thing is to set out a strategy to win the game. Nitish didn’t get much game time in Australia, and given the importance of this series and the conditions we expect, he might miss out this week,” Ten Doeschate explained. The coach further confirmed that wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who has been in excellent form, will feature in the playing XI alongside Rishabh Pant. Jurel recently struck back-to-back centuries for India A against South Africa A, reinforcing his position in the squad.
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India’s updated squad for the first Test features Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Akash Deep. The South Africa series marks the visitors’ first Test tour of India since 2019, when the hosts won 3–0. The two-Test series will be followed by three ODIs and five T20Is. With both teams looking to strengthen their positions in the World Test Championship standings, the contest promises to be intense.
