Rohit Sharma replaces Ajinkya Rahane as India’s vice-captain as BCCI announce 18-man squad for SA Tests

In a significant development, Ajinkya Rahane was removed from Test vice-captaincy, a position which has been given to Rohit Sharma. The BCCI announced the 18-member squad for the three-Test series versus South Africa, from December 26, which doesn’t include all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, spinner Axar Patel, and opener Shubman Gill due to various injuries.

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Hanuma Vihari has made a comeback in the main squad while Ishant Sharma has been able to retain his place despite poor form.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced the following squad on Wednesday for their three-test series in South Africa starting this month:

Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj.

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Standby Players: Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Arzan Nagwaswalla