Nadeem rewarded for consistent showing in domestic cricket: Rathour

Shahbaz Nadeem's Test debut may have come as a surprise in the third and final Test against South Africa but India batting coach Vikram Rathour on Saturday said the left-arm spinner was picked purely on the basis of his performances in domestic cricket.

About 14 hours after he was drafted into the squad in place of an injured Kuldeep Yadav, the 30-year-old from Jharkhand was handed a Test cap by skipper Virat Kohli before the start of the game.

"He has some 424 wickets in first-class cricket. He's a consistent bowler and of course, these are his own home conditions. I think it was selectors' call and I think it was the right call as well," Rathour said of Nadeem, who became the third Test cricketer from Jharkhand after MS Dhoni and Varun Aaron.

"Basically, we were looking to play spinners here. Kuldeep had some issues with his shoulder so he was ruled out. The selectors picked Nadeem because his performances speak for himself."
"He has cut down on his speed and made his delivery more loopy. His action is more compact now and instead of using his shoulder he's using more of his body now."