Bavuma to return as South Africa captain for India Tests

Temba Bavuma will be back to lead South Africa's Test side in their two-match series against India next month after recovering from a calf strain. Bavuma missed the start of their World Test Championship title defence against Pakistan after sustaining the injury in England in September.

He will not play in any of the white-ball matches that start in Pakistan this week but will be in a South African A side to play India A in a first-class match in Bengaluru before joining the Test squad.

Bavuma's inclusion is the only batting change from South Africa's squad that drew 1-1 in Pakistan and comes at the expense of middle-order batter David Bedingham, who did not play either of the matches.

Bedingham has played 15 Tests for South Africa and scored one hundred and four fifties, but before his 82 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo he had gone 12 innings without a fifty. With Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis and Zubayr Hamza in the squad, there is no room for Bedingham.

"The guys that did duty in Pakistan in the Test matches have shown what they're capable of, and a case can be made for all of them to be re-selected. The reason why they got selected ahead of David was because I feel that in these conditions they'll be more effective," Shukri Conrad, South Africa head coach, said on Bedingham. "It doesn't mean that it's the end of the road for David. It wasn't so long ago that he was one of our star performers at Lord's so really horses-for-courses. For what we're potentially going to face, I believe the guys that we got are ahead of David in that respect.

"You leave a player out and it's never easy, especially if they've done as well as they have done. But again, I've got to take the emotion out of all of it. We've made some tough decisions along the way so every time you make a decision like that, it's particularly tough, but you've got to take the emotion out of it.

"You basically look at the raw facts and say, 'right, what do we believe is going to be effective on these surfaces? And who best to stack up against said opposition on those surfaces,' you know? And look, in eight months' time, however long, when we play a Test match back home again, I'm sure David will be in that line-up. But purely for Pakistan and India, what we're expecting, the guys that we've selected, we believe, are better equipped."

On Hamza's selection for the India Tests, Conrad said that he's a "really good player of spin, it's as simple as that." Hamza had recently scored a century for South Africa A against New Zealand A in Potchefstroom last month.

"He [Hamza] was close to playing in Pakistan when we considered balance of side and he is the next batter up," Conrad said. "In these conditions, I must continually add that, in these conditions, we've always said that everything we do is conditions-based and condition-specific."

South Africa have stuck with three specialist spinners as all of Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy performed well in Pakistan. Offspinner Prenelan Subrayen, who played in the first Test while Maharaj was recovering from a groin strain, has not been included.

Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch and Marco Jansen make up the pace pack, with Lungi Ngidi not included after also missing out on the Pakistan tour.

The two-match series starts in Kolkata on November 14 before the second Test in Guwahati from November 22. South Africa will also play three ODIs and five T20Is on the tour.

South Africa Squad for India Tests

Temba Bavuma (capt), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Dewald Brevis, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Simon Harmer.