Shahbaz Nadeem replaced Kuldeep Yadav for India’s final Test in Ranchi against South Africa. The Jharkhand spinner has been added the squad as Kuldeep complained about a pain in his left shoulder.
Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was waiting for the call for long. Since last few seasons he has been a decent contributor in domestic and India A circuits. In 110 first-class matches, Nadeem picked up 424 wickets. Since 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season when he picked up 51 wickets he has been on the rise. India A’s recent tour of West Indies saw him topping the wicket-takers’ list with 15 scalps, including 10 in the first game. His eight wickets in the two four-day games for India A against South Africa A prior to the Test series also proved his mettle. Moreover, the local boy has enough experience of bowling at the at the JSCA stadium in Ranchi, the venue for the final Test. No wonder this is going to be an added advantage for the team.
On the other hand, Kuldeep was not a part of the XI for the first two games of the ongoing series. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the two spinners in the Indian XI in Vizag and Pune.
Since India already has won the three-match series 2-0, this will be a great opportunity for Nadeem to showcase his talent in front of the home crowd.
Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shahbaz Nadeem.