India vs South Africa: Jasprit Bumrah gets maiden Test call-up; Parthiv Patel makes a comeback to Indian squad

India’s limited-overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah got a Test call-up while wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was dropped from the team when the selectors named India squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa. Parthiv Patel will also travel to South Africa as a backup wicket-keeper to Wridhhiman Saha. Hardik Pandya returned to the Test squad after being rested for the Sri Lanka Test series. Kuldeep Yadav and Vijay Shankar, who were part of the team for the Sri Lanka Tests, did not find a place in the squad. The All-India Senior Selection Committee met in New Delhi to pick the team for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka as well. India will play three T20Is — on 20, 22 and 24 December at Cuttack, Indore and Visakhapatnam respectively — before flying off to South Africa for the daunting assignment. The biggest question mark was over Jasprit Bumrah’s selection for the South Africa series. The pacer, who has been an indispensable part of India’s limited-overs team, has staked his claim for a position in Test team with his control and consistency, and the pacer picked himself with his performances in the limited-overs, according to the chief selector MSK Prasad. [caption id=“attachment_4237061” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Indian team. AP[/caption] In 26 first-class matches, Bumrah has picked 89 wickets so far at an impressive average of 25.33. However, his last first-class game was back in January — the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Jharkhand. Bumrah starred in Gujarat’s win with a Man of the Match-winning haul of 6-for-29. The other four pacemen — Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav — were automatic picks. For Tests, the core of the team is more or less settled, with three openers and the in-form middle-order selecting themselves. Though there were some concerns over Ajinkya Rahane’s recent form, his place in the squad was never in doubt. India last played a Test in South Africa in 2013. In that series, after drawing the first Test in Johannesburg, they proceeded to lose the following match in Durban by ten wickets. No team from Asia has ever won a Test series in South Africa, and Virat Kohli’s men would be keen to buck the trend. The selectors also announced team for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma was named the captain while Washington Sundar, Basil Thampi and Deepak Hooda got their maiden calls-ups. Squad for South Africa Tests: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh yadav, Jasprit Bumrah. Squad for T20I series against Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey , Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat.