South Africa pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out from the upcoming second Test against India that will commence from November 22. Notably, Rabada had sustained a rib injury before the opening match and is yet to recover fully from it. Skipper Temba Bavuma has confirmed that the 30-year-old nwill not be participating in the Guwahati Test.
“Kagiso has been ruled out of the second Test," Bavuma confirmed on Friday. He also pointed out that the pitch at the Barsapara stadium is a lot fresher than that of Eden Gardens where the first Test was played and added that they will decide Rabada's replacement later on.
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“This wicket looks a lot fresher and will be more consistent in terms of variability compared to Kolkata. We will have another look in the morning and decide on Kagiso’s replacement. This is a typical sub-continental wicket with the first two days good for batting before spinners come into play. The first two days should be good for batting, after which the spinners will come into play," Bavuma said at the pre-match press-conference.
SA to go with same bowling combinationn as 1st Test?
With Rabada out, South Africa may opt to go with the same bowling combination as they used in the first Test. They included three pacers and two spinners into their XI and it turned out to be a rather successful selection as their bowling attack went on to dominate and bundle out India for only 93 runs after handing them a target of 124. They did add pacer Lungi Ngidi to their squad amid Rabada's injury concerns, so he may be brought into the mix.
Gill ruled out due to injury
On the other hand, India will be without regular captain Shubman Gill for the match as he has been ruled out due to a neck injury. In his place, Rishabh Pant will be taking up the leadership duties just like he did mid-way through the first match. It will be essential for the Men in Blue to win in Guwahati in order to avoid another Test series defeat at home.
Notably, this will be the first time that a Test match will be played at the Barsapara stadium so it is unknown territrory for both the teams. The stadium has previously only played hosts to limited-over matches.