Why are Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur not playing 2nd Test against South Africa 2023?

India decided to drop Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur for the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. The spin wizard picked up only one wicket in the opening Test in Centurion while Shardul picked up the important wicket of Dean Elgar, but was on the expensive side. 

Ravindra Jadeja, who was not fit for the first Test due to spasm, replaced Ashwin in the playing XI. He has played only one Test in South Africa and picked up six wickets in that match. The cricketer is often backed by the management ahead of Ashwin in overseas conditions, as he is considered to be a better batter than the veteran spinner. 

On the other hand, Mukesh Kumar returned to the playing XI, replacing Shardul. It was on the cards as skipper Rohit Sharma was spotted spending time with the Bengal pacer in the training. However, Prasidh Krishna was also one of the players who could have made way for Mukesh after a disappointing outing in Centurion. However, he managed to retain his place as Shardul, who failed to deliver with both bat and ball in the first Test, missed out.

Temba Bavuma and Gerald Coetzee also miss out 

Skipper Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the second Test after he failed to recover from his hamstring injury while Gerald Coetzee has been ruled out with pelvic inflammation. South Africa batter Keegan Petersen, on the other hand, made way for debutant Tristan Stubbs.

In the absence of Bavuma, Dean Elgar will be leading the team in his final Test appearance. On the other hand, Keshav Maharaj has replaced Coetzee in the playing XI. South Africa bolstered their spin unit in the second Test, as the ball is expected to turn as the game proceeds. 

Meanwhile, South Africa are leading 1-0 in the series and will hope to keep up with the momentum. During the toss, Elgar clarified that he is indeed playing his last Test match and wants to end it on a high note.