Rohit Sharma ruled out of South Africa Tests; replacement named

Priyank Panchal, 31, has been named as replacement for the new India Test vice-captain.

Sharma was recently appointed as the full-time T20I and ODI captain of India, apart from being named Test vice-captain, capping a brilliant 2021 for the opener – he scored 947 Test runs, only second to Joe Root in the calendar year, at an average of 47.68.

Sharma played a pivotal role in the home and away series against England, where he was India's highest-run getter with 345 and 368 runs respectively that included Player of the Match-winning performances in Chennai and the Oval.

Panchal was the captain of the India A side that toured South Africa for a three-match unofficial Test series that ended 0-0.

Panchal has vast experience in India's domestic first-class circuit. The 31-year-old has played 100 games in first-class cricket, scoring 7011 runs at 45.52, including 25 centuries and a high score of 314*.

India will play three ICC World Test Championship Tests in South Africa, starting with the Boxing Day Test at Centurion, followed by clashes at The Wanderers and Newlands.

India are No.4 in the WTC table, with a win percentage of 58.33 after four matches. South Africa are yet to play a WTC Test in the ongoing 2021-23 cycle.

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