India announce squad for final 2 Tests against England

India have announced their squad for the final two Tests against England. The majority of the squad remains the same, with 17 players part of it.

The only change could be Umesh Yadav's addition should he pass a fitness Test. The fast bowler will replace Shardul Thakur, who leaves the side to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

TEAM - Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj.

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2021

Contrary to media reports, fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Navdeep Saini are not part of India’s squad for the final two Tests. As expected, Ravindra Jadeja did not make the cut, with the all-rounder currently recuperating from an injury.

A total of five net bowlers will also be part of India’s squad in Ahmedabad. This includes Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Warrier, Krishnappa Gowtham and Saurabh Kumar. The two standby players are KS Bharat and leg spinner Rahul Chahar.

Shahbaz Nadeem interestingly finds no place in India’s contingent. The left-arm spinner had a poor showing in the first Test and was replaced by Axar Patel for the second game.

In addition to confirming Shahbaz Nadeem’s release, the BCCI also announced that Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal have been released for the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well.

The India-England series is currently level at 1-1. The third Test will be a pink-ball affair in Ahmedabad, beginning February 24. The series decider will take place at the same venue on March 4.

Full India squad for Ahmedabad Tests

Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj.

Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem and Priyank Panchal have been released for Vijay Hazare Trophy.#INDvENG

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2021