Rishabh Pant's return to competitive cricket after a three-month injury-enforced hiatus will be the primary focal point of India A's four-day match against South Africa A.
The Proteas have included three frontline spinners in the squad with Keshav Maharaj leading the attack, while also consisting of Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy, who was the player of the series against Pakistan.
India will look to reprise their home template of big first-innings totals and sustained spin in the short two-Test series against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
'The positive test relates to the substance Furosemide, which is not a performance enhancing substance, and Zubayr has been able to identify how the substance entered his system.'
The two four-day games will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from October 30 to November 9.
'I think it's an ongoing process, just continuously putting in hours of work and speaking to people that have played in these conditions, have done well in these conditions.'
South Africa sharpen spin game in attacking net session ahead of Eden Test
India captain Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir along with Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel arrived in Kolkata late on Sunday ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa.
The Pakistan Cricket Board in a bid to attract more crowds to the Test match have for the first time announced free entry for several enclosures.
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
Top-order batters subjugate India A's Test bowlers as SA A register five-wicket win
Pant's gritty fifty keeps India A together in chase of 275
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
Pant took a bit to settle into his rhythm behind the stumps, and once he came to terms with the surface and bowlers the wicketkeeper was quite tidy.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
India's awe-inspiring batting depth will face a stern test against South Africa's quality spin attack in the first Test, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
After bowling out SA A for 309, overnight 299/9, in the first session, India succumbed to their own waywardness, and the relentlessness of off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen (5/61), to concede an innings lead of 75.
Quinton de Kock has reversed his retirement from ODI cricket and has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads for the Pakistan tour.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the two-Test series against Zimbabwe that starts in Bulawayo on June 28 after he failed to recover from a hamstring injury sustained in the World Test Championship final win over Australia at Lord's.
South Africa named uncapped Neil Brand as their captain for a two-match Test tour of New Zealand next month where the majority of their team will be missing, competing instead in the domestic Twenty20 league.
Furosemide, a prohibited substance under the World Anti-Doping Agency Code was found in Hamza's sample
South Africa is set for a fairytale farewell as Dean Elgar takes the helm in the final Test against India
New Zealand took their time but eased to an emphatic victory over an inexperienced South Africa side by 281 runs
South Africa Test batter Zubayr Hamza has been suspended for nine months after accidentally taking his father's heart medication that contained the banned substance Furosemide, ruling him out of the tour of England later this year.
While Saini took three for 42, fellow pacer Deepak Chahar claimed one for 35 and left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar picked up two wickets.
All-rounder Rachin Ravindra continued to bolster his reputation with three for 33 as New Zealand reduced a weakened but battling South Africa side to 220 for six on the first day of the second Test at Seddon Park on Tuesday.
A couple of false COVID-19 positive reports in the India A camp created a mild flutter before the visitors ended up with yet another stalemate with South Africa A as the three 'Test' series ended 0-0, in Bloemfontein, on Thursday.
Kane Williamson hit an unbeaten century as New Zealand beat South Africa by seven wickets on the fourth day of the second Test
David Bedingham scored his maiden Test century as South Africa handed New Zealand a victory target of 267 on a tricky pitch on the third day of the second and final Test.
The board said no replacement will be brought in for Rabada as there is an extended squad in place in the Bio-Secure Environment (BSE), but George Linde has been retained from the Test team as an extra spin-bowling option for the series.
South Africa have named a largely unchanged One-Day International squad for the three-match home series with Bangladesh on March 18-23, with only all-rounder Sisanda Magala missing out after he failed a fitness test.
Becomes first England fielder to take 5 catches in an innings.
Images from Day 3 of the third Test between India and South Africa, in Ranchi, on Monday.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis walked for the toss along with Temba Bavuma as the proxy captain, who was given the responsibility of calling the toss.
A desperate India seek to restore parity against South Africa and remain consequential in the World Test Championship.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock will be available for the ODI series after his abrupt retirement from Test cricket on Thursday, while all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius earns a recall.
Captain Shubman Gill missed out on a century by 10 runs while Jalaj Saxena struck 61 not out as India 'A' dominated the proceedings on the second day of the first unofficial Test against South Africa 'A', in Thiruvananthapuram.
India will now lock horns with South Africa for three Tests and three ODIs, beginning December 26.
Batsmen Temba Bavuma and Keegan Petersen, left-arm seam bowler Beuran Hendricks, and all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo will join the team in Johannesburg on Wednesday
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