Rishabh Pant to lead India A against South Africa A
What's the story
Rishabh Pant is set to make his competitive cricket comeback as the captain of the India A team. He will lead the side in a two-match four-day series against South Africa A, starting October 30 at BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The second match is scheduled for November 6-9. Pant has been out of action since July due to a fractured foot sustained during the Manchester Test against England.
Recovery journey
Pant fully recovered from fractured foot
Pant, who had fractured his left foot in the Old Trafford Test in late July, was in the final stage of rehabilitation as of early October. He was set to undergo a fitness test at the Centre of Excellence. His foot was taken out of the cast over a month ago and he has been working on strengthening it through mobility drills and weight training exercises.
Team composition
India A squad for the 1st match
The India A squad for the first four-day match against South Africa A is as follows: Rishabh Pant (captain and wicket-keeper), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagadeesan (wicket-keeper), Sai Sudharsan (vice-captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, and Saransh Jain. The second match will see Pant lead again with KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel as additional players in the squad.
Previous injury
Pant missed WI Test series due to injury
Pant missed the two-match Test series against the West Indies as he was recovering from a fractured right foot. The injury had occurred during India's fourth Test against England in July. He was advised six weeks' rest after being hit by a delivery from fast bowler Chris Woakes on Day 1 of the fourth Test.
Shami
Shami continues to be away from the squad
Mohammed Shami, the star Indian fast bowler, has not been picked in the squad. Playing for Bengal, the pacer recently claimed seven wickets in his team's Ranji Trophy opener against Uttarakhand at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. The performance comes amid questions over his fitness after he was left out of international games in recent months due to alleged poor physical fitness. However, despite this performance, he continues to be away from the selection plans.