India pick uncapped Gill, axe Rahul for South Africa Test

Published September 12, 2019
The 20-year-old has been rewarded for his prolific run-scoring in the India A team during the tour of the West Indies. — AFP/File
The 20-year-old has been rewarded for his prolific run-scoring in the India A team during the tour of the West Indies. — AFP/File

The Indian cricket board on Thursday named uncapped opener Shubman Gill in the Indian Test squad to face South Africa as the selectors axed out of form KL Rahul.

The 20-year-old has been rewarded for his prolific run-scoring in the India A team during the tour of the West Indies, where he became the youngest Indian to score a first-class double hundred.

He may have to bide his time for a Test debut, though, as the omission of Rahul, who managed just 101 run in his four Test innings in the recently concluded West Indies tour, paves the way for Rohit Sharma to step up to open in the XI.

MSK Prasad, the chief selector, said he “wanted to give Rohit Sharma an opportunity to open the innings in Tests”.

Sharma, who is the team's limited-overs vice-captain, has not been a Test regular and last played a five-day game in Australia last year. He has played 27 Tests in contrast to his 218 one-day appearances.

New batting hero Hanuma Vihari unsurprisingly remains part of the 15-man squad, led by Virat Kohli for the series starting October 2 in Visakhapatnam.

Vihari, a middle-order batsman, scored a sparkling century and two fifties to top-score with 289 runs in the West Indies as India swept the two-match series.

The national selectors have once again chosen two wicketkeepers for the series with rising star Rishabh Pant having competition from Wriddhiman Saha.

Paceman Umesh Yadav has also been left out of the team.

The three-Test series follows three T20 internationals which start in Dharamsala on Sunday.

India's squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.