BCCI Chairman of Selection Committee MSK Prasad has on Friday (September 13) explained the exclusion of Hardik Pandya from India Test squad for the three-match Test series against South Africa.

Pandya was expected to get his place back in India’s Test side as the only designated seaming all-rounder for the Proteas Tests but Prasad-led selection committee surprised everyone by not naming the Baroda lad in the squad for the home series.

However, Pandya, who was rested after World Cup 2019, has been named in India’s T20I squad for the three-match series which will start on September 15 at Dharamsala against South Africa.

After the Test squad selection meeting at New Delhi on Thursday, Mr. Prasad stated that Pandya was available for selection but Indian team management didn’t feel the need of a seam-bowling all-rounder for the home series.

He further went on to claim that it was truly a combination of managing Pandya’s workload as well as the requirement based on the conditions behind his exclusion for the Proteas Test series.

As per reports in Hindustan Times, Prasad stated: “We did not feel the need for a seam-bowling all-rounder for home series. Yes, he plays ODIs and T20Is, so it’s a combination of both.”

Noteworthy, the national selectors have made only two changes in the Test squad that played in West Indies, as they trimmed it from 16 to 15, leaving out Umesh Yadav for the domestic cricket while awarded maiden Test call to Shubman Gill to replace out of form KL Rahul in the side.

India's squad for 3 Tests:
Virat Kohli (C), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill

(With Hindustan Times Inputs)