India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team: India captain Shubman Gill addressed Mohammad Shami’s repeated exclusion from the red-ball setup ahead of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens. Gill said the team management is focusing on developing a pool of young pacers including Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj. "There are not many bowlers of his quality. You cannot ignore the performances of the current bowlers like Akash, Prasidh. Sometimes it's difficult for players like Shami bhai to miss out. Selectors will be able to give you a better answer," Gill said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the first Test.
"When we are playing overseas, the workload is higher than when in India. The fast bowlers also know this. The load on fast bowlers when in India won't be as much as compared to spinners," Gill said.
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Shami was left out of the two-match home series despite strong performances in the early stages of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy. The veteran pacer has taken 15 wickets in three Ranji matches at an average of 15.53. Shami last played a Test during the 2023 WTC Final against Australia. He has also been overlooked for overseas series including the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and the 2025-26 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England.
India have often struggled to find a reliable third seam bowler in Shami’s absence, especially in overseas conditions. The challenge increases with Jasprit Bumrah’s limited workload. Bumrah featured in both Tests against the West Indies, was rested for ODIs against Australia and played in the T20I series. He is set to return for red-ball cricket.
India vs South Africa Test Series 2025 Schedule:
| Match | Day and Date | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|
| India vs South Africa, 1st Test | Friday, November 14 - Tuesday, November 18 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 09:30 AM |
| India vs South Africa, 2nd Test | Saturday, November 22 - Wednesday, November 26 | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | 09:00 AM |
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India vs South Africa Test Series 2025 Squads:
India Test squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper/vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
South Africa Test squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wicket-keeper), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wicket-keeper).
