The wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen has earned a call-up to the Test squad for the upcoming tour of India after the uncapped Rudi Second has been ruled out from the Test series due to an injury.
South Africa will play a three-match T20I series and three-match Test series against the hosts India from 15th September to 23rd October 2019. Recently, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced the T20I and Test squads for this upcoming tour.
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The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Rudi Second had earned his maiden international call-up for the upcoming Test series in India. However, recently, he has received an injury while he was practising with the South Africa A side for the forthcoming India tour. He needs immediate surgery, which is forcing him to miss the upcoming India tour.
Heinrich Klaasen has already experienced limited-overs international matches
As a replacement of Rudi Second, the selectors have chosen the uncapped Test player Heinrich Klaasen. The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Klaasen has already experienced the limited-overs international cricket after making debut in February 2018. He has played 14 ODIs and nine T20Is where he has scored 251 and 156 runs respectively. While the wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock is in the squad for the upcoming Test series, Klaasen will be the back-up wicketkeeper.
During the Australia tour of South Africa 2017/18, Klaasen was in the Test squad. However, he wasn’t selected in the playing XIs in any of the four Tests of that series.
Meanwhile, Klaasen is already in the one-day squad for upcoming South Africa A tour of India. The selectors have now added him for the four-day series of this tour which will help him for the Test preparation.
After the completion of the T20I series, South Africa will play the Test series against the hosts India. The Test series will run between 2nd October and 23rd October 2019. They will play the three Tests at Vishakhapatnam, Pune and Ranchi. According to the earlier schedule, Ranchi would host the second Test and Pune would host the third Test. But due to the Durga Puja festival in Ranchi, the venues have been switched.
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It will be South Africa’s opening Test series in the 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship.
Later, in March, South Africa will again tour in India for the three-match ODI series.
South Africa’s updated Test squad for the upcoming India tour: Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma (vc), Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wk), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada.