The BCCI have announced India's 17-member Test squad for the last two matches -- third and fourth -- against South Africa, which are set to be played in Nagpur and Delhi respectively, though the fate of Delhi as a fourth Test venue will be decided today.
Virat Kohli and his men currently lead the four-match Test series, 1-0. The BCCI have gone ahead with the same team, which won the first Test in Mohali. The second Test match in Bengaluru, which was called off on Wednesday owing to continuous rain, ended in a draw.
The unchanged team comes as no surprise as India won the first Test handsomely within the first three days. Though Shikhar Dhawan might have been a major failure in the first Test, he still remains India's main batsman in Test cricket at the top of the order. Dhawan was amongst the runs in whatever little cricket was possible in the second Test match in Bengaluru.
Bowlers such as Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who have both played an integral part in the Test series with 12 wickets each, will once again prove to be the key bowlers for India in the last two Test matches. With India having dominated with their spinners in the Test series, a spin-friendly track is also expected in Nagpur.
South Africa will be eager to deliver the goods in the last two Test matches after their batting debacles in Mohali and Bengaluru -- South Africa were dismissed for 214 runs in the first day of the second Test.
India's Test squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma and Gurkeerat Singh Mann.
