Team India will be touring to South Africa for a 3 Tests, 6 ODIs, and 3 T20I series early in 2018. The Indian team will leave for South Africa on December 26 or 27 and will be playing a two-day practice match at Boland on December 30-31.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli had criticized BCCI for their cramped scheduling which included 3 back to back series in two months which had bounded them to have a lack of time to prepare for the crucial overseas tour of South Africa. India will play the last T20I against Sri Lanka on December 24th and then leave for South Africa just after two days.
BCCI selection committee has decided to go for five pacers including Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah along with two spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. They will get the support of Hardik Pandya as the lone all-rounder in the team.
Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha were the automatic selections. Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, and Shikhar Dhawan are the 3 openers in the squad while, Parthiv Patel has been included as a reserve keeper.
India will play the first Test at Newlands, Cape Town from Jan 5, second Test at Centurion from Jan 13 and third and final Test at Johannesburg from Jan 24.
Here is the 17-member squad for 3 Tests against South Africa:
Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
#TeamIndia for three- match Test series against South Africa announced
Virat (Capt), Vijay, Rahul, Shikhar, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Rohit, Saha (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Parthiv, Hardik, Bhuvneshwar, Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Bumrah. #SAvIND
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 4, 2017
