IND vs ENG: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 16-member India Test squad against England for the first two Tests on Friday. India is set to play a five-match Test series against England starting 25th January 2024 in Hyderabad.
Indian captain, Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the Test side, while Jasprit Bumrah will be his deputy. Former skipper, Virat Kohli too will make his presence felt in the senior group. He strengthens the batting line-up, which also has the likes of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer to name a few.
Gill hasn’t been in the best of form, of late. His form will be crucial in the series as he will, once again, be seen batting at number three. Shreyas Iyer, too didn’t make a lot of impact with the bat in South Africa. However, with pitches assisting spinners in India, you expect him to be a vital cog in that batting line-up.
No Ishan Kishan in Test Squad
The spin-friendly conditions have also made the selectors include as many as four spinners in the squad, namely Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. India is most likely to play at least three spinners in the playing XI and Kuldeep Yadav is likely to warm the bench out of four in the first Test.
The absence of Ishan Kishan in the squad has become a big talking point. He pulled out of the Test series against South Africa and also made himself unavailable in the three T20Is against Afghanistan. The selectors have now told him to perform at the domestic cricket to earn his place back in the side.
Dhruv Jurel, who has outstanding numbers in first-class cricket, has been given the nod. He has been chosen as the backup wicket-keeper to KL Rahul and KS Bharat. KL Rahul scored a century in South Africa, however, his position as the wicket-keeper batter in the playing XI in spin-friendly conditions in India is still questionable.
It will be interesting to see if India persists with him as the wicket-keeper batter in the playing XI in the first Test against England. Jasprit Bumrah will shoulder the responsibilities of the pace department alongside the likes of M Siraj, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
Indian veteran pacer, M Shami is still recovering from an injury and thus, is not part of the squad for the first two Tests.
India Test Squad Against England For First Two Tests
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), and Avesh Khan
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