Find out about the 2nd week cricket highlights for the month of September
India cricket team released the names of their Test squad against South Africa. KL Rahul, who was included in the Test squad in West Indies, was not included in the roster against the Proteas.
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The batsman was replaced with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. The Test Squad members were confirmed by the head selector MSK Prasad. After his successful handling of the team during the West Indies tour, Virat Kohli will still lead the Men In Blue with Ajinkya Rahane.
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Sharma’s appointment in the Test opener spot received a lot of negative comments saying that the batsman is not yet fit for Test batting.
‘Rohit has been opening in white-ball cricket for more than a decade now and we all think he has the ability to bat up the order. He was keen and we also want to give him some opportunities to bat up the order in Tests and see where he stands’, said the selectors.
Fast-pacer Jasprit Bumrah also earned his spot in the Test squad. After his successful hat-trick during the West Indies tour, Bumrah is now top bowler in all formats.
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As for Gill’s inclusion in the roster, the selectors said that they were impressed by the young batsman’s performance in unofficial matches against West Indies A.
‘He has done well, both as an opener and in the middle-order, so he can be a backup for both slots. But as he keeps playing, he will get more opportunities because he is a player for all three formats’.
When asked about Rishabh Pant’s performance, the selectors said that he needs to improve his skills more.
‘Rishabh is definitely (main) to begin with but let’s leave it to how the team management thinks. We need a keeper with some more skills while playing at home’.
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India and South Africa will play three sets of ODI, T20I, and Test matches for the home tour. The points accumulated for the Test match is included for the World Test Championship.
The ICC organized the World Test Championship to give more context in the longest format of cricket. To know more about cricket leagues and matches, read articles on Betwala.
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