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Published 10:52 IST, October 19th 2019

Ind vs SA: All eyes on Rohit Sharma as hosts lose three early wickets

South Africa's pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje wreaked havoc through India's top-order as they grabbed three scalps in the first session of the 3rd Test

Reported by: Koushik Narayanan
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South Africa's pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje wreaked havoc through India's top-order as they grabbed three scalps in the first session of the third Test in Ranchi. Kagiso Rabada picked up the two important scalps of opener Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara while Anrich Nortje managed to trap skipper Virat Kohli for an lbw. All eyes are now on the Hit Man Rohit Sharma, who will look to replicate the knocks of his dream Test debut in the third and final Test. South Africa made five changes to their side after losing the second contest by a mammoth margin to India. 

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India eyeing a clean sweep 

After having won both the matches comprehensively, India will be eyeing a clean sweep against a struggling South Africa. The visitors' woes increased when Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram were ruled out of the contest due to injuries. The Virat Kohli-led side are sitting comfortably at the summit of the ICC World Test Championship rankings with 200 points in their tally. No other team is even closer to the top-ranked Test side. Apart from a clean sweep, India will also be eyeing to add another 40 valuable points. The Proteas, on the other hand, would be looking to salvage pride and if they manage to win the dead rubber, then they would open their account in the World Test Championship rankings. The third Test will be played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex at Ranchi on Saturday. 

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Shahbaz Nadeem gets Test cap

India's Shahbaz Nadeem received his Test cap ahead of his maiden outing for the national side in the longer format of the game against South Africa in Ranchi. The decision to add Nadeem was made after Kuldeep Yadav complained of left shoulder pain on Friday. This news was confirmed by a media statement released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Shahbaz Nadeem has been in phenomenal form in the domestic tourney and has earned his call-up to the national side - a reward for his consistent performances. 

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India's playing XI for third Test

Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane(vc), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shahbaz Nadeem(debut), Umesh Yadav, Md Shami

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Updated 11:01 IST, October 19th 2019