Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav will not feature in India’s squad for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against Australia, starting next month. Shami was left out due to an ankle injury sustained after the ODI World Cup, sidelining him since November last year.
Several fresh faces have been included in the Test squad, with Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana earning call-ups. Nitish Reddy made headlines recently with a standout performance in a T20I against Bangladesh, where he smashed 74 runs and took two wickets, helping India secure an 86-run victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Abhimanyu Easwaran also earned his spot through consistent performances. The right-handed batter has been in excellent form since the Duleep Trophy, scoring 632 runs across eight innings, including four centuries. His highest score of 191 came during the Irani Cup against Mumbai.
Harshit Rana, a promising right-arm seamer, is yet to debut for the national team but is now poised to make his first appearance in India’s Test colors.
Kuldeep Yadav was not available for selection as he was referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence to address a chronic groin issue following the ongoing Test series against New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma will lead the squad, with Jasprit Bumrah serving as his deputy for the marquee Test series.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick off on November 22 with the first Test at Perth. The second match, scheduled for December 6-10 at Adelaide Oval, will be a day-night fixture. The series will then move to Brisbane, with the third Test taking place at The Gabba from December 14-18.
The iconic Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will follow from December 26-30, leading into the final clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3-7. The five-match series promises a thrilling contest between two cricketing giants.
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
(Inputs from ANI)