AHMEDABAD, April 6: India bolstered their bowling attack for next week’s third and final Test against South Africa by including fit-again paceman Ishant Sharma and recalling medium-pacer Munaf Patel to a 16-man squad on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Sharma has been out of action since returning from an impressive tour of Australia, due to injuries to his foot and finger, and missed the first two Tests against South Africa, while Munaf last played a Test in December.

The visitors went 1-0 up in the three-Test series on Saturday after winning the second game in Ahmedabad by an innings and 90 runs inside three days.

Indian selectors also recalled off-spinner Ramesh Powar in the squad.

“The team is keen to play three spinners and hence Powar has been added to the line-up,” Indian board secretary Niranjan Shah told reporters.

Powar, who has played two Tests, has been named partly as cover for skipper and leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who suffered a groin strain in the drawn first Test and did not seem fully fit in the second.

Shah said both Sharma and Kumble would be subject to fitness tests on April 10, a day before the final Test starts in Kanpur.

The hosts will be without talismanic batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who aggravated a groin injury in the first Test which ruled him out of the remaining part of the series.

Squad: Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Vangipurappu Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Region on edge
Updated 27 Oct, 2024

Region on edge

If the global community is serious about de-escalation in the region, it must call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.
Series win, at last
27 Oct, 2024

Series win, at last

NOMAN Ali and Sajid Khan walked off after England’s second innings, jointly holding the ball having all but ...
Crimes of collusion
27 Oct, 2024

Crimes of collusion

MULTIPLE socioeconomic factors propel criminal practices. Preying on the poor for astronomical profit tops the list....
Selling PIA
Updated 26 Oct, 2024

Selling PIA

Aurangzeb’s assertion that govt hopes to finalise the privatisation next month indicates issues with shortlisted bidders will be resolved soon.
Anti-Muslim bias
26 Oct, 2024

Anti-Muslim bias

RECENT findings of the EU’s human rights agency point to a troubling rise in bias against the bloc’s 26m ...
On the pulse
26 Oct, 2024

On the pulse

HEART disease is fast becoming an epidemic in Pakistan, increasingly affecting younger populations. Karachi, for...