The Men In White: Team India announce playing XI for first test; Rishabh Pant excluded

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Image Courtesy: Sportskeeda

The Men In Blue announced their playing XI for the first test against the Proteas at Vishakapatnam. Wriddhiman Saha makes his return to the squad after a long injury lay-off and replaces the under-fire Rishabh Pant. 

Image Courtesy: Sportskeeda

Rohit Sharma is set to open for the first time in the longest format with the absence of KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan in the squad. He will open the innings alongside Mayank Agarwal.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has opted to go for 3 spinners including Hanuma Vihari as the ground by the seashore in Vishakapatnam is known for its prolific turn. The spinners that made the cut are Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin with Kuldeep Yadav missing out.

Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami are the two pacers in the set-up. Jasprit Bumrah misses out on the series as a result of a stress fracture in his back. Umesh Yadav, who replaced him, failed to get into the XI.

The hosts have gone with the same middle order comprising of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari. The home series might be the perfect opportunity for Pujara to get back into his groove after a quiet outing in the Caribbean.

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