The India national cricket team has made a last-minute change ahead of the first Test against South Africa starting on Friday (November 14) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from the Test squad and has been included in the India A squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa A in Rajkot.
The white-ball series between India A and South Africa A is scheduled to begin on November 13 and the final match will be played on November 19. Tilak Verma will lead the India A team in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa A.
Nitish Kumar Reddy moves to India A ahead of Kolkata Test
The BCCI confirmed that Nitish Kumar Reddy will join the senior Test squad in time for the second and final Test against South Africa in Guwahati, which is scheduled to begin on November 22.
The decision will give the Indian all-rounder more match practice in the 50-over game before returning to the red-ball setup later this month.
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“All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from the India squad for the first Test against South Africa. Nitish Kumar Reddy will join the India A squad for the one-day series against South Africa A in Rajkot,” the BCCI said in an official press release.
“The three ODI matches between India A and South Africa A will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium from November 13 to 19. Reddy will return to the team for the second Test after the conclusion of the ‘A’ series.
Nitish Kumar Reddy is all set to make a comeback after recovering from the left quadriceps injury which he suffered during the second ODI in Adelaide and subsequently ruled him out of the third ODI at the SCG.
Dhruv Jurel is sure to play as a specialist batsman, Rishabh Pant will be wicketkeeping in Kolkata Test.
Meanwhile, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has confirmed that Dhruv Jurel is all set to play in Kolkata as a batsman, while Rishabh Pant will take charge behind the stumps against South Africa. This combination will provide more depth and balance to the team, with Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar expected to be part of the playing eleven.
“I don’t think you can leave him out for this Test, that’s the short answer. But obviously, you can also only pick 11, so someone else will have to miss out. I think we’ve got a good idea of the combination,” The Indian Express quoted Ryan ten Doeschate as saying.
“Looking at the way Dhruv has scored two centuries in the last six months in Bangalore last week, he is certain to play this week.”
Again, as I mentioned about Vashi [Washington Sundar]Letter [Patel]and jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja]For me, you really have three batsmen. So, it gives us a lot of flexibility. But I would be very surprised if we don’t see Dhruv and Rishabh playing in this Test this week.”
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Jurel’s recent form has been exceptional, with him scoring two centuries during the second unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bangalore last week. His consistency and composure have impressed the team management, making him a strong choice for the first Test in Kolkata.
Updated Indian Team:
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (WK/VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
Updated India A team:
Tilak Verma (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
