Kuldeep, Axar Back In India Squad For First 2 Tests Against England; Jurel Earns Maiden Call-Up

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 16-man India squad to take on England in the first two Test matches of the five-match series, beginning January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Rohit Sharma will lead the 16-man side while Jasprit Bumrah will be his deputy.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jarel is the lone new face in the team as a third option behind the stumps in the team after KL Rahul and KS Bharat with Ishan Kishan having reportedly taken a break from cricket citing mental fatigue. This is his maiden call-up to the national team. The 22-year-old was a part of India A squad that played two matches against their South African counterparts in December last year.

Pacer Mohammed Shami, who is still recovering from an injury that he suffered during the ODI World Cup last year, has also not been named in the squad. Shami was also not a part of the India squad that toured South Africa recently.

While all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been left out of the squad, Avesh Khan, who was recently called up to the India Test squad in South Africa as a replacement for Shami, has been added to the pace battery led by Bumrah with Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar as the other options.

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja make up the spin attack along with Axar Patel, who has made an expected comeback to the side. Kuldeep Yadav has been selected to provide cover for the trio.

INDIA SQUAD

Rohit Sharma (captain), 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 (vice-captain), Avesh Khan.