NEW DELHI: India seamer Mohammed Shami will not play in two Test matches against South Africa while bowler Deepak Chahar has withdrawn from the ODI series, the country’s cricket board (BCCI) said on Saturday.

Shami, whose last Test appearance came during India’s World Test Championship final loss to Australia in June, had been picked in the squad for the two Tests subject to him passing a fitness test.

“Mohammed Shami, whose participation in the Test series was subject to fitness has not been cleared by the BCCI medical team and the fast bowler is ruled out of the two Tests,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“Deepak Chahar has informed the BCCI that he will not be available for the upcoming ODI series due to a family medical emergency. The men’s selection committee has named Akash Deep as his replacement.”

India’s tour of South Africa began with a three-match T20 International series, which ended level after the first game was abandoned due to rain. They will play three ODIs between Dec 17-21, before the first Test begins on Dec. 26 in Pretoria, with the second on Jan 3 at Newlands in Cape Town.

The BCCI added that batter Shreyas Iyer would only play the first of the three ODIs against South Africa, before joining the Test squad.

ODI squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (captain), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2023