India will be without the services of fast bowler
Mohammed Shami
in their pursuit of securing a historic
Test series
victory in
South Africa
. The veteran pacer has been ruled out of the two-match series as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday that he did not receive clearance from the team's medical staff.
Shami, who has been recovering from an ankle issue after an impressive performance in the recent ODI World Cup, was initially included in India's Test squad, contingent upon approval from the medical team.
The BCCI did not specify a replacement for Shami, and the first Test between India and South Africa is scheduled to commence in Centurion on December 26.
Preceding the inaugural Test, members of the Indian Test team will engage in a three-day intra-squad match starting from December 20.
Shami is expected to continue his rehabilitation at home, with a potential return during the Test series against England, which begins on January 25 in Hyderabad.
The second Test against South Africa is set to take place in Cape Town starting on January 3, 2024.
Chahar out of ODI series
Deepak Chahar
has been removed from the ODI squad due to his unavailability to travel to South Africa, citing a family emergency.
"Chahar has informed the BCCI that he will not be available for the upcoming ODI series due to a family medical emergency. The Men's Selection Committee has named (pacer) Akash Deep as his replacement," the BCCI statement read.
The BCCI mentioned in the statement that following the conclusion of the first ODI in Johannesburg on Sunday, Shreyas Iyer will be joining the Test squad to get ready for the upcoming two-match series.
"He (Iyer) will not be available for the second and third ODI and will take part in the inter-squad game," it read.
Dravid & Co to skip ODI series
The BCCI also stated that head coach Rahul Dravid and the usual support staff will not be in charge of the three-match ODI series. Instead, they will be overseeing the inter-squad game to prepare for the upcoming Test series, highlighting the importance the management places on securing a Test series victory in the Rainbow Nation.
"Team India (Senior Men) Head Coach Rahul Dravid, Batting Coach Vikram Rathour, Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey and Fielding Coach T. Dilip will link up with the Test squad and oversee their preparations for the inter-squad game and the Test series," the statement said.
With the regulars unavailable, the ODI team, captained by wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul, will be managed by the India 'A' coaching staff. This includes batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Rajib Datta and fielding coach Ajay Ratra.
India's updated ODI squad: KL Rahul (captain, wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep
(With PTI inputs)
English (US) ·