The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa starting from 26th December 2021. This Test series will form a part of the new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Rohit Sharma as the vice-captain. Middle-order batter Hanuma Vihari is set to make a return to the National team.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked Ajinkya Rahane in the squad. Many felt that Rahane could be dropped following his poor form in the longest format. However, former vice-captain Rahane has got a chance to prove himself but only as a player.

Hanuma Vihari has been recalled following his impressive performance with the bat during the India-A Tour against South Africa-A.  Indian regular opener KL Rahul, who was ruled out of the NZ Test series due to niggle, is also set to make his return. Indian key players like Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shardul Thakur who have been rested for the New Zealand series, are named in the squad.

BCCI has rewarded Shreyas Iyer and Jayant Yadav by including them in the squad. Both earned their places after having a fruitful outing against the Kiwis. BCCI said that Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and Rahul Chahar will be not available for the South African tour due to injuries. All these players are currently undergoing rehabilitation. 

Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Deepak Chahar, and Arzan Nagwaswalla will serve as standby players. The All-India Senior Selection Committee also named Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the ODI & T20I teams.