The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled the lineup for the remaining three Tests of the ongoing five-match series versus England. Notably, Virat Kohli, the prominent batsman, will continue to be absent from the forthcoming matches due to personal reasons, extending his absence from the initial two Tests. Kohli’s most recent appearance was during the T20I series against Afghanistan in January.
In a statement, the BCCI expressed full respect and support for Kohli‘s decision, confirming his unavailability for the remainder of the series. Alongside, Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar have been included in the series. However, the participation of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja is contingent upon their fitness clearance, as stated by the BCCI.
Mohammed Shami, who missed the first two Tests due to injury, remains sidelined, while pacer Akash Deep finds his place in the squad.
The third Test is scheduled to begin on February 15 in Rajkot, followed by the fourth Test in Ranchi on February 23. The series will conclude with the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala, starting from March 7. Currently tied at 1-1, India faced a 28-run defeat in the first Hyderabad Test but bounced back to win the second Test in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs.
India Team Squad:
- Rohit Sharma (Captain)
- Jasprit Bumrah (Vice-Captain)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Shubman Gill
- KL Rahul
- Rajat Patidar
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Dhruv Jurel (Wicket-Keeper)
- KS Bharat (Wicket-Keeper)
- R Ashwin
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohd. Siraj
- Mukesh Kumar
- Akash Deep