Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has been called up by the Indian team on the eve of the third and final Test against South Africa at Ranchi. He was handed his debut on Saturday (October 19).
According to Hindustan Times, he had just a played a Vijay Hazare Trophy match in Alur, Karnataka and landed in Kolkata when the news of his inclusion in India’s Test squad came around 7 in the evening. 14 hours later, he was handed his Test cap by India captain Virat Kohli at his home ground - the JSCA International Sports Complex in Ranchi. Shahbaz Nadeem made his debut against South Africa in the third and final Test match of the series.
After making his first-class debut 15 years ago in a match where former India captain MS Dhoni was a part of, he finally will be playing with the Indian Team. The spinner has never represented the country before, but has made a name for himself in the IPL. He also has a strong record in domestic first-class cricket, having taken 424 wickets at an average of 28.59 in red-ball cricket. Since the start of the 2012/13 Ranji Trophy season, no-one has taken more wickets in India's premier red-ball competition.
India have already won the series, having taken both Tests so far. But captain Virat Kohli has made clear that, with World Test Championship points still up for grabs, India will not be easing off in the final game.
