India squad for SA series - Sai Sudarshan and Rajat Patidar to don Indian colours for the first time

All eyes were set firmly on the India squads for the South Africa tour, which is set to get underway on December 10. Team India will play the Proteas across all three formats of Tests, ODI and T20 but one sees the tour as a major checkpoint in the lead-up to the all-important 2024 men's T20 World Cup.

The selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, revealed the squads for the upcoming expedition amid tremendous fanfare and as expected, there were a few surprises in store. Indian talismans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are said to have requested BCCI to be rested for the white ball series against South Africa which means that they would be available only for the two-match Test series beginning on December 26, 2023.

As a result, Surya Kumar Yadav retains his place as the Indian T20 captain with KL Rahul appointed as the skipper of the ODI team. Mohammed Shami, on the other hand, is said to be undergoing treatment and his availability will be decided based on his fitness during the tournament. Regardless, he has been named only in the Test squad.

IND vs SA: Suryakumar Yadav to lead T20 team, Sanju Samson returns for ODIs, Shreyas Iyer back in Test squad

Ruturaj Gaikwad makes considerable leap

Evidently, the selection panel is eyeing a comprehensive and long-term shift and the South Africa tour is likely to beckon to a new era. While Rohit Sharma returns to the Test team as the captain and Virat Kohli as the batter, the squad also includes Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will be making his debut in red-ball cricket should he make it to the final XI. 

Ruturaj, who is currently serving as the vice-captain of the T20 team against Australia, has already played 17 T20s and 4 ODIs but the selectors do see him being a valuable asset in Test cricket as well.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and pacer Mukesh Kumar, who got a call-up for the Test team against the recent West Indies series, return to the squads for the South Africa series. Jasprit Bumrah has been named the vice-captain of the Test team.

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Sai Sudarshan, Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh make the ODI cut

Another striking feature of the squad announcement for the SA series is the inclusion of Sai Sudarshan in the ODI team. The Chennai left-hand batter, who impressed one and all with his tenacity in the IPL as part of the Gujarat Titans, makes his international debut by virtue of this call-up. 

So does the RCB batsman Rajat Patidar who has been on the radar for a couple of seasons now. Patidar, who has played only 12 IPL games thus far, will look to make a strong impression during the South Africa tour, should he be picked in the XI. Rinku Singh, too, is part of the ODI squad.