Kuldeep Yadav replacement: Will Shahbaz Nadeem debut in 3rd India vs South Africa Test in Ranchi?

Kuldeep Yadav replacement: The chinaman spinner has been ruled out from the third Test between India and South Africa.

India chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been ruled out of the third Test of the ongoing South Africa’s tour of India in Ranchi. Yadav, whose last Test was the New Year’s Test in Australia, was in the squad but didn’t get an opportunity to play in the presence of senior spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

It is reported that Yadav complained of shoulder pain which became the reason for him being ruled out of the match. Considering the pitch at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, it was expected that India would play three spinners in the last Test.

The 24-year old cricketer has picked 24 wickets in six Tests at an average of 24.12, an economy rate of 3.51 and a strike rate of 41.2.

Kuldeep Yadav replacement

It is worth mentioning that Jharkhand spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has been added to the Indian squad as Yadav’s replacement. If India aim to play the third spinner, 30-year old Nadeem would make a hard-earned Test debut after years of toil in the domestic circuit.

Having made his First-class debut for Jharkhand as a 15-year old in 2004, Nadeem has dismissed 424 batsmen in 110 matches at an average of 28.59, an economy rate of 2.69 and a strike rate of 63.6.

Nadeem added as a cover for Kuldeep. Nobody deserves a chance more than Shahbaz….has been taking truckloads of first-class wickets for years. Home ground too. #IndvSA

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 18, 2019

Nadeem had made the rounds after finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy during 2015-16 (51) and 2016-17 (56) season. Having picked wickets for fun in the domestic circuit, it seemed as if Nadeem would qualify to play for India but it wasn’t to be.

Nadeem had received a maiden T20I call-up for the home series against West Indies last year, Nadeem had missed out on making a debut there. If he makes the final XI tomorrow, it will doubtlessly be a special moment for he will be making a long-awaited Test debut at his home ground.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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