Abhishek Nayar picks his Indian XI for IND vs SA 2025 1st Test, no place for Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar

Former India player Abhishek Nayar has picked his Indian XI for the first Test against South Africa. He left out Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar, highlighting that the conditions would be difficult for batting and would favor the seamers.

The first Test of the two-match series between India and South Africa is scheduled to start in Kolkata on Friday, November 14. Apart from Kuldeep and Washington, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are the two spinners in the Indian squad.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show, 'Game Plan,' Nayar was asked to pick his Indian playing XI for the first Test against South Africa and whether he would continue to back Sai Sudharsan at No. 3.

"I would want to if you have persisted with someone for so long. Dhruv Jurel has been fantastic, got a hundred against the West Indies, two back-to-back hundreds now playing for India A vs South Africa A, so terrific, but I want to position him in a place where he can succeed," the former India assistant coach responded. "Ravindra Jadeja at No. 6. For me, No. 7 in these conditions, I would look for a Dhruv Jurel because he is in that sort of form. I would want him to be part of the setup. Unfortunately, everyone is going to be like damn, a Kuldeep may have to miss out in this setup for me," he added.

Nayar opined that Nitish Kumar Reddy would be more useful than Kuldeep in potentially seamer-friendly conditions at the Eden Gardens.

"In these conditions, considering how challenging it is going to be for the batters, I would want that extra surety with a batter and a seamer. So Nitish Reddy comes in and then you have my three seamers in that team. That's the kind of setup I would go for," he observed.

Abhishek Nayar's Indian XI for IND vs SA 2025 1st Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

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"I would go 1-0 to India" - Abhishek Nayar on his predictions for IND vs SA 2025 Test series

India registered a 2-0 win against the West Indies in their previous Test series. [P/C: BCCI]

In the same interaction, Abhishek Nayar opined that India would win 1-0 when asked to predict the series result.

"I would go 1-0 to India, only because of the daylight problem. Shorter days, they are going to the northeast, and it's winter. I feel South Africa have a good team. I will give one a draw. Guwahati - draw, Eden Gardens - India will win," he said.

The second Test between India and South Africa is scheduled to start in Guwahati on November 22. The start of play has been preponed to 9 AM, considering the early sunset, with Tea being taken after the first session and Lunch after the second.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer