IND vs SA: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sai Sudharsan return as Rishabh Pant leads India in Guwahati Test

Team India made wholesale changes to its Playing XI for the second Test in Guwahati as Nitish Kumar Reddy and Sai Sudharsan returned for the hosts. Injury to skipper Shubman Gill and lacklustre batting form in Kolkata were the major reasons for the overhaul as India look to gain parity in the two-match Test series. Having lost the opening Test in Kolkata by 30 runs, India trail the series 0-1 and will look to make the most of the home conditions in the second Test, which is played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

India make wholesale changes

As expected, the Indian team management decided not to take any chances with Shubman Gill, as he had already left for Mumbai to seek expert advice on his neck spasm. His exclusion meant India were left with no option to bring back Sai Sudharsan, who was benched for the Kolkata Test. The team management also showed faith in Dhruv Jurel as he continued to feature in the Playing XI.

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Nitish Reddy’s inclusion came after Axar Patel was dropped from the Playing XI as India missed out on a batting all-rounder. India struggled with the pace of the game and lost wickets at regular intervals during the Kolkata Test. Reddy was initially released from the Test squad, but Gill’s injury meant he returned from the List A series against South Africa A.

What happened at the toss?

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss as luck with the coin flip yet again eluded the hosts. South Africa decided to bat first in Guwahati, as the session timings for the contest have been revised.

India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

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