The BCCI on Saturday (February 10) announced Team India’s 16-member squad for the remainder of the five-match Test series against England at home.
After the first two Tests, the series is evenly poised at 1-1. While England won the opening Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs, India bounced back to win the second Test in Vizag by 106 runs.
The hosts missed several first-choice players in the Vizag Test. While Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul couldn’t feature in the match due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries respectively, Virat Kohli pulled out of the first two Tests due to personal reasons.
Having regained their fitness, Jadeja and Rahul have returned to the squad for the remaining three Tests but their participation is subject to fitness clearance. However, Kohli continues to remain unavailable for the remainder of the series.
With Jadeja's return, Saurabh Kumar was left out of the squad but Washington Sundar held onto his place. In Kohli's absence, Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar retained their place in the side as well.
The rest of the squad remains the same except for middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer's exclusion. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal feature in the side as openers, followed by Shubman Gill.
KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel are the two designated wicketkeepers in the squad, also including R Ashwin, Akshar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav as spinning options. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar are among the four fast bowlers in the team. Bengal pacer Akash Deep have been added to the squad in place of Avesh Khan for the remaining three Tests.
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul*, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja*, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep
Notes:
1: Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli’s decision.
2: **The participation of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team.
(With BCCI Inputs)
