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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had initially announced the Indian Test squad for the first two matches against England. Virat Kohli, who was part of the squad, subsequently pulled out due to personal reasons and was replaced by Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar.
India dominated the first half of the opening Test in Hyderabad, but England made a strong comeback courtesy of Ollie Pope (196), and Tom Hartley (7/62) to register a memorable 28-run win. The hosts, as they have often done in recent years, came back strongly to clinch the second Test in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs.
India batted first in the game and put up 396 as Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 209. Jasprit Bumrah then claimed six wickets to hold England to 253. A Shubman Gill ton in the second innings saw India set England a target of 399. The visitors managed 292.
The BCCI recently named the Indian squad for the remaining three Tests, but there have been a few developments, with players coming in and going out. Here’s a lowdown on key players who are in and those who are out.
Virat Kohli
After initial reports claimed that Kohli would be available for the remaining three Tests against England, subsequent reports raised doubts about the same. At a press conference after the second Test, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid, as he usually does in such cases, answered the query with a dead bat.
The BCCI, however, ended the suspense over Kohli while naming the team for the last three Tests. The former Indian captain remains unavailable for personal reasons.
“Virat Kohli will remain unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Board fully respects and supports Mr. Kohli’s decision,” the BCCI release stated.
The 35-year-old had also skipped the first T20I against Afghanistan due to personal reasons but featured in the next two matches.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul was initially part of the Indian squad for the first two Tests. He contributed 86 and 22 in the opening Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. However, the right-handed batter was ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam after complaining of right quadriceps pain.
Rahul was named in the Indian squad for the remaining three Test matches, but his participation was subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team. On Monday, February 12, the BCCI confirmed through an official release that the 31-year-old had been ruled out of the third Test in Rajkot.
“Mr. Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test,” BCCI’s official release on the matter stated.
Meanwhile, Rahul has been replaced by another Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal in the Indian squad for the third Test, which starts on February 15.
Shreyas Iyer
Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has been dropped from the Indian Test team for the last three matches against England.
The 29-year-old paid the price for his poor run of form in red-ball cricket. Iyer hasn’t scored a half-century in Test cricket since his 87 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in December 2022. He registered a highest score of 35 in the first two Tests against England.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Iyer was suffering from back and groin injuries. However, the BCCI made no mention of his fitness issues while naming the squad for the remaining three Tests, confirming that the struggling batter had been dropped.
Ravindra Jadeja
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was named in the Indian squad for the first two Tests. He played in Hyderabad and top-scored with 87 in the first innings after claiming three wickets. He picked up two scalps in England’s second innings but was then run out for 2. Jadeja walked off clutching his hamstring and was subsequently ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Like Rahul, he was named in the Indian squad for the remaining three Tests against England, with his participation subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team. While the former has been ruled out of the third Test, Jadeja remains part of the updated squad. As such, he looks set to feature in the third Test at his home ground in Rajkot.
Mohammed Shami
Senior pacer Mohammed Shami did not feature in the first two Tests against England and has not been named in the team for the last three Tests as well. He has been out due to an ankle injury and has not played any game for India since the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
Avesh Khan
Pacer Avesh Khan, who was picked for the first two Tests, has been left out of the squad for the last three matches without being given a chance.
Right-arm pacer Mukesh Kumar has retained his place despite a poor bowling performance in the second Test. He has been joined by fellow Bengal pacer Akash Deep, who has earned his maiden Test call-up to the Indian team.
Among fringe players, Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and KS Bharat have retained their place in the team for the last three Test matches even as Ishan Kishan remains out of contention. Coach Dravid has made it clear that he needs to start playing before being considered for selection.
