Veteran Indian player Ravichandran Ashwin has been excluded from the playing XI for the second and final Test match against South Africa. Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has replaced Ravichandran Ashwin in India’s lineup for the New Year’s Test in South Africa.

Ravindra Jadeja has been India’s first-choice bowler in overseas conditions for the last few years. However, the left-arm spinner was ruled out of the recent Test due to upper back spasms. Jadeja’s last appearance in a Test match in South Africa was a decade ago.

Ashwin emerged as India’s most economical bowler, despite unfavorable conditions for spinners. He took one wicket for 41 runs in his 19 overs in South Africa’s innings. However, he struggled to make an impact with the bat, registering scores of 8 and 0 in the match.

Ravindra Jadeja returns for Ravichandran Ashwin – Rohit Sharma

Speaking at the toss, Rohit Sharma confirmed that Ravichandran Ashwin was dropped from the team and replaced by Ravindra Jadeja, who has successfully recovered from an injury.

“I would have batted first too. Looks like a good pitch. We understand the challenge of batting first on that pitch, but there will still be enough in the field for the closers, so hopefully we’ll take advantage of it. It is important to forget what happened in the past. We understand the importance of getting runs on the board and 20 wickets. It didn’t happen in the first game, but we are optimistic about what we can achieve here. Two changes. Jadeja comes back for Ashwin. Shardul is lost, Mukesh Kumar replaces him,” Rohit said.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Ravichandran Ashwin fell! Sunil Gavaskar makes two changes to India’s XI for second Test