Gill continues as the captain, as Pant takes his place back as his deputy. The two matches in the series will be played in Kolkata from November 14 and Guwahati from November 22 as a part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.

The squad retains the broad core that featured in the recent assignments against England and the West Indies, where India drew 2-2 away to England and then secured a 2-0 home sweep over the West Indies under Gill’s captaincy.

A look at the squad

At the top of the order, India are set to continue with the right-left combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, a pairing that has underpinned the early phase of the new Test cycle. The presence of Sai Sudharsan ensures that the left-handed batter will continue at number three.

Shubman Gill takes up his spot at number four in the batting order, and Rishabh Pant is expected to bat at number five. The presence of Devdutt Padikkal adds further depth to India’s batting stock. Dhurv Jurel, who impressed with his temperament and glove-work earlier, offers back-up to Pant and an additional middle-order option if needed.

India’s all-round balance remains a major strength. Ravindra Jadeja headlines the spin department and the lower middle-order, supported by Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Jadeja and Sundar are expected to be the first choice all-round spin-bowling options, with Axar serving as the horse for the course action.

The pace attack once again revolves around Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who have led India’s fast-bowling effort through the early fixture of this WTC Cycle. Akash Deep, who was part of the England tour earlier this year, continues to be groomed as a back-up, offering control and depth with flexibility.

South Africa, the current World Test Champions, are expected to pose a stern challenge despite historically modest results in India, where they have won five and lost eleven of their 19 Test matches. For Gill’s young side, a home series win against such an opposition would represent a significant marker in this red-ball transition phase.

Notably, India’s veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami, continues to be ignored despite his brilliant show in the recent Ranji matches.

India’s Test squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep