The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee recently picked a 20-member squad for ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final and five-match India vs England Test series in the UK. India and New Zealand will play the WTC final on June 18 in Southampton.
Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari made a return to the side but Kuldeep Yadav was left out. Kuldeep is going through a rough patch in his career. The Chinaman was included in the squad for the previous few Test series but he hardly got named in the playing eleven.
Former India cricketer Rahul Dravid shared his views on India's squad for the England tour and he found the side balanced for the England tour.
“It does seem balanced. It’s a 20-member squad. The only other one who could have merited selection would’ve been Kuldeep Yadav, but he’s fallen away over the last little bit. Also, with the kind of recent performances from Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, they’re clear about the kind of balance they want in the squad,” Dravid said during a webinar organized by Live Aid India, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo.
“With both Ashwin and Jadeja adding value with the bat and having like-for-like replacements in Axar and Washy, they’re clear about the direction they want to take. It lengthens their batting and all four finger spinners here allow them to do that. The make-up of the squad tells me they know their best XI even before they leave from here.”
Kuldeep wasn't given an opportunity on the last Australia tour in the four-match Test series and he played only 1 Test against England at home in which the wrist-spinner picked two wickets.
(With Cricinfo Inputs)
