Indian Team Departures to South Africa: Virat Kohli led team India departs for South Africa to get part in the 3 match Test series against South Africa which kickstarts from December 26, 2021. Team India will extend their tour to play 3 matches ODI series in South Africa where Rohit Sharma leads the Indian ODI team.
Indian Team Departures to South Africa
The Indian team’s departure was preceded by an explosive press conference from Test captain Virat Kohli, who minced no words as he addressed the controversies surrounding Indian cricket over the past week.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared pictures from the flight as the Indian Test team flew to Johannesburg.
“All buckled up, South Africa bound,” wrote the BCCI.
All buckled up ✌🏻
South Africa bound ✈️🇿🇦#TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/fCzyLzIW0s
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 16, 2021
Indian white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the South African test series owing to a hamstring injury.
When asked about missing Rohit in the South Africa test series: “Will miss his abilities a lot. He’s proven in England already that he’s really worked his Test game out, and the opening partnership was very important for us to play in that series. Obviously, with his experience and skill, we will miss those qualities,” said Virat Kohli in a virtual conference.
“That said, it’s an opportunity for Mayank [Agarwal] and KL [Rahul] to step up and solidify that start for us and make sure the good work is carried on in this series,” he added.
Rohit Sharma Replacement for SA Test Series
Priyank Panchal, who led India A during the just-concluded three-match series, has been named as the replacement player for Rohit Sharma. There is no immediate decision on who will be the vice-captain.
Panchal, the opening batter from Gujarat, scored 120 runs for India A at an average of 40 in three innings with a high score of 96. He has featured in 100 first-class matches and has scored 7011 runs at an average of 45.52 and has got 24 centuries to his name.
India’s squad for South Africa Tests
Virat Kohli (Captain), Priyank Panchal, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj.
