WTC champions South Africa announce squad for India Tests; has Bavuma returned? Check out team

The 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) winners, South Africa, named a potent 15-man squad for their away tour of India starting December 14. Temba Bavuma, who led the side to their first ICC title in 27 years, has recovered from a calf strain he sustained in England in September and returns to captain his team in the two-match Test series. Having missed out on the ongoing away Pakistan tour, including the concluded two Tests and the forthcoming ODI series starting this week, Bavuma will captain the South Africa A team in a First-Class game in Bengaluru ahead of the series.

Bavuma’s return is one of the changes to the Test squad that drew the away series (1-1) in Pakistan; he comes back at the expense of batter David Bedingham, who did not play any part against Pakistan. The middle-order batter has played 15 Tests, scoring four fifties and a hundred; before his 82 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, he went a dozen innings without a fifty.

However, with several other youngsters among those performing, Bedingham’s place was under the scanner.

Meanwhile, South Africa retained their three specialist spinners, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy, all of whom played and performed in Pakistan. Barring them, the off-spinner, Prenelan Subreyen, who played ahead of Maharaj in the first Test as the left-armer was recovering from a groin strain, has been dropped. In the pace bowling department, Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch and Marco Jansen lead the attack, with no Lungi Ngidi, who also missed the Pakistan tour.

The two-match Test series begins at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on December 14, and the second game moves to the east in Guwahati, starting November 22. Before the Test series, the Proteas will play three ODIs and five T20Is.

South Africa squad for India Tests -

Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Dewald Brevis, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada and Simon Harmer