Honour to represent India, says Shubman Gill

New Delhi, Sep 12:  Soon after getting his maiden call-up for the upcoming three-Test series against South Africa starting October 2, Shubman Gill said it's an honour to represent the country, donning the blue or white.

"Be it blue or white. It's always an honour to represent my country," Gill tweeted.

Out-of-form opener Lokesh Rahul was excluded while Gill was rewarded for his consistent shows with the bat.

BCCI Chief Selector M.S.K. Prasad had earlier acknowledged that Rahul's form in Tests was a cause of concern for the team and that the board might have limited-over opener Rohit Sharma to open the innings in the five-day format as well.

Meanwhile, Gill has received his maiden Test call owing to his great run in recent times. Gill scored 90 and 5 in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A that concluded on Thursday to boost his chances.

Pacer Umesh Yadav has also been dropped from the squad that recently beat the West Indies 2-0 in the away series.

The first Test against South Africa will be played in Visakhapatnam from October 2 before the teams travel to Pune for the second Test from October 10. The final match of the series will be played in Ranchi from October 19.