The Indian selectors have made some shocking exclusions as well.
After much anticipation, the Indian management has named an 18-member squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), slated to be held in November-December.
Expected to be one of India’s toughest challenges in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle, the five-match Test series will decide India’s fate of qualifying for the Finale.
Keeping that in mind, the Indian selectors have named a diverse squad which sees the likes of domestic stalwart Abhimanyu Easwaran and Indian Premier League (IPL) sensation Nitish Kumar Reddy get a call-up for the marquee series.
Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran eventually got the preference over the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudarshan to take the reserve opener spot. Nitish Kumar Reddy, on the other hand, was already earmarked by the management and skipper Rohit Sharma had also revealed recently that he was being groomed to travel to Down Under.
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Amongst the major exclusions, spinner Kuldeep Yadav and talismanic pacer Mohammed Shami are missing from the roster.
The BCCI, in it’s official press release, clarified that Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection.
The BCCI statement read, “Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he has been referred to The BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long-term resolution of his chronic left groin issue.”
As for Shami, who was recovering from an ankle injury, it is understood that he won’t be fit in time to feature in BGT.
India have also named three fast bowlers – Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed in the travelling reserves.
India’s squad for Border Gavaskar Trophy:
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 Mohd. Siraj Akash Deep Prasidh Krishna Harshit Rana Nitish Reddy Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
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