IND vs SA: Team India got a shock before the match, Kuldeep injured, Shahbaz Nadeem got a chance

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has been included in the Indian squad for the third Test match with South Africa from Saturday.

Before the third and final Test match of the series against South Africa, Team India suffered a setback. ‘Chinaman’ Kuldeep Yadav has become unfit. The All India Selection Committee of BCCI has included left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem as Indian Squad for the third Test match with South Africa in Ranchi from Saturday.

The decision to include Nadeem of 30-year-old Jharkhand in the team on Friday was taken because Kuldeep Yadav had complained of pain in his left shoulder on Friday. Shahbaz Nadeem has taken 424 wickets in 110 first-class matches.

It was expected that if the Indian team management included three spinners in the last Test of the series, then R.C. Kuldeep Yadav may get a chance with Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja. But now the local spinner has been called as his cover due to Kuldeep’s injury.

Nadeem has been consistently doing well in domestic cricket for many years. He has the distinction of taking more than 50 wickets in the Ranji season twice. He returned to his home from Kolkata after playing for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Only after that, he got the news of calling in Team India. Jharkhand was a part of Group A in the tournament, but could not qualify for the knockout.

Nadeem was included in the T20 squad during the West Indies tour of India last year but did not get a chance in the final-11. Now he can get a chance to play for the Indian team in his home stadium.

Indian squad for the third Test : Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Riddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rishabh Pant.