Spinner Shahbaz Nadeem receives his Test cap, all set to make debut

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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Shahbaz Nadeem gets his Test cap

Shahbaz Nadeem's career

Shahbaz Nadeem had represented the Bihar U-14 side and Indian U-19s. He currently plays for Jharkhand. The left-arm spinner has grabbed a lot of eyeballs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Shahbaz Nadeem had represented Delhi Daredevils from 2011 to 2018. He was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2019 edition. So far, the spinner has played 106 first-class matches and 98 list-A games where he has 401 and 143 scalps respectively. Shahbaz Nadeem was the leading wicket-taker in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons of the Ranji Trophy (51 & 56). Last year while representing Jharkhand in a Vijay Hazare match against Rajasthan, Shahbaz Nadeem set a new List-A cricket record where he took eight wickets for ten runs from ten overs. 

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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. 

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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