5 players not in India's squad for IND vs SA 2025 Tests who played in the 2019 series ft. Mohammad Shami

India named their squad for the home Test series against South Africa. They will host the Proteas for two Tests later this month. The series will begin on November 14 with the first match to be played in Kolkata.

South Africa last played a Test series in India in 2019. It was a three-match series that the hosts clinched 3-0. India won the first Test by 203 runs. They won the second Test by an innings and 137 runs and won the final Test by an innings and 202 runs.

Virat Kohli was the captain of the team then, while Shubman Gill will be leading the side this time around. There are several new faces in the team from the 2019 series. That said, here are five players who are not in India's squad for the upcoming series who played in 2019.

---

#5 Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari played just one match in the 2019 series against South Africa. He batted in one innings and scored 10 runs. Having made his Test debut in 2018, Vihari last featured in the format for India in 2022 against England. He has been out of favor ever since and is unlikely to ever return to the side.

However, Hanuma Vihari has continued to actively participate in domestic cricket. He is representing Tripura in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 and even scored a century in his last match.

---

#4 Umesh Yadav

Pacer Umesh Yadav bagged 11 wickets from four innings in the 2019 series. His scalps came at an average of 12.18 and a strike-rate of 21.2. This was also the series where he smashed his famous 10-ball 31 with the bat, which included five maximums.

Umesh last played a Test for India during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in 2023. He has been out of the side ever since. The pacer has bagged 170 wickets from 57 Tests in his career.

---

#3 Mayank Agarwal

For a brief period, Mayank Agarwal was a mainstay opener in the Indian Test side. He had an impressive series in 2019 against the Proteas. The right-hander scored 340 runs from four innings at an average of 85 with two hundreds, including a double hundred.

Mayank last played the format in 2022 and has been permanently sidelined. Interestingly, his numbers have been impressive. The right-hander has scored 1488 runs from 21 Tests at an average of 41.33 with four hundreds and six half-centuries.

---

#2 Ajinkya Rahane

Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane was India's vice-captain during the 2019 South Africa Tests. He made 216 runs from four innings at an average of 72 with a hundred and a fifty. The right-hander last played a Test in 2023 against the West Indies.

Rahane continues to play his trade for Mumbai in domestic cricket. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he even made 159 runs in an innings against Chhattisgarh. The right-hander scored 467 runs from 14 innings in the previous Ranji Trophy season. Rahane has featured in 85 Tests, piling on 5077 runs with 12 hundreds and 26 half-centuries.

---

#1 Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami was India's joint second-highest wicket-taker in the 2019 South Africa series. He picked up 13 scalps from three games at an average of 14.76 with a fifer as well.

Shami has been out of the team since the 2023 WTC final. He has been constantly sidelined due to injury issues. However, the pacer has been claiming that he is fit but is not being picked. In fact, he is even playing the ongoing Ranji Trophy and has bagged 15 wickets from five innings at an average of 15.53 with a fifer.

Shami has played 64 Tests, claiming 229 wickets at an average of 27.71 with six five-wicket hauls.

Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news

Edited by Rishab Vm