3 clear indications from India's squad for the South Africa Tests ft. Rishabh Pant's return

The BCCI recently announced India's squad for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa. Shubman Gill and Co. are on the back of a 2-0 win over the West Indies and are aiming to further their case for a spot in the final of the ongoing World Test Championship.

The squad is largely along expected lines, with only a couple of changes to the contingent that faced off against the Windies. Rishabh Pant and Akash Deep have returned to the fold following their recovery from their respective injuries, replacing N Jagadeesan and Prasidh Krishna.

Nevertheless, there are a few inferences that can be drawn from the selectors' decisions.

India's squad for the Test series vs South Africa: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk) (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.

On that note, here are three clear indications from India's squad for the South Africa Test series.

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#3 Mohammed Shami's Test career might be over

Australia v India - ICC World Test Championship Final 2023: Day Three - Source: Getty

Mohammed Shami has been active in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal and has been vocal about his desire to represent the national team again. Stating that he is fit enough to bowl long spells in red-ball cricket, the veteran seamer has been campaigning for a return.

However, the selectors don't seem too keen on that. Shami has been overlooked despite having a fair amount of domestic cricket under his belt lately, with his Bengal teammate Akash Deep being picked as the third seamer.

Given Ajit Agarkar's comments and recent squad decisions, it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that Shami's Test career might be over.

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#2 The selectors have a lot of faith in Akash Deep

England v India - 5th Rothesay Test Match: Day Five - Source: Getty

Speaking of Deep, the selectors have wasted no time in bringing him back into the fold. This was done at Prasidh's expense, despite the tall fast bowler having done well in the fifth Test against England not too long ago.

There are concerns over Deep's numbers with the older ball, but he has done fairly well at home. If Jasprit Bumrah needs to be rested following a five-match T20I series in Australia, he could take the new ball and perform his ideal role to great effect.

Deep's Test record certainly has a few holes and caveats, but the selectors seem keen on him. That much is clear from their squad announcement for the South Africa series.

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#1 Rishabh Pant's return in the 1st "A" game was without hiccups

England v India - 4th Rothesay Test Match: Day Two - Source: Getty

Rishabh Pant, who broke his foot during the England Test series, recently returned to the field during India A's first red-ball game against South Africa A. The left-hander had a good outing, smashing a half-century in the second innings that took the hosts to a competitive win.

Pant clearly didn't feel any problems during that match, as he has been named as the vice-captain and first-choice wicket-keeper against the Proteas. India will welcome the return of one of their best players, one who is now also part of the leadership group.

It's harsh on Jagadeesan, who has been dropped without a chance. But that's the nature of the beast, and Pant seems to have made a solid recovery from a nasty injury.

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Edited by Sai Krishna