Picture Credit: X
The KL Rahul-led Men in Blue clinched the three-match ODI series by 2-1 margin on the back of Sanju Samson’s heroic century in the series decider on Thursday, 21 December in Paarl. After the completion of the white-ball leg of the tour, the action will now shift onto the two-match Test series, set to begin in Centurion from December 26.
But ahead of the Test series, the Men in Blue have been handed a major blow as former India skipper, Virat Kohli has reportedly returned home. The batting stalwart returned to India, citing a family emergency and will miss the three-day intra-squad game, which is underway in Pretoria.
However, the exact details of the emergency are not clear, the 35-year-old will be back in time for the first Test, as reported by Cricbuzz. He is expected to return on Sunday, December 24.
Ruturaj Gaikwad to ruled out of Test series against South Africa: Reports
Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to miss the two-match Test series as he continues to get fit in time. Gaikwad suffered a finger injury in the second ODI on December 19. “(He) hasn’t fully recovered from the blow he sustained to his ring finger while fielding in the second ODI. He remains under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team,” BCCI said ahead of the third ODI.
India’s Test squad for South Africa series:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk).
