After historic win in Gabba on Tuesday, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced squads for the first two Tests against England.The squad was chosen in a meeting under the leadership of Chetan Sharma on Tuesday.
Experienced fast bowler Ishant Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya have been included in India's 18-member squad for their first two Tests against England, starting on February 5 in Chennai.
The Test series which is set to start from February 5, will see the return of captain Virat Kohli who had returned back to India after the first Test against Australia for the birth of his first child. BCCI also brought back pacer Ishant Sharma, who had been ruled out of the Aus tour with an injury whereas all-rounder Hardik Pandya will also be seen in white jersey.
Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur have been included in the squad too while pacer Mohammed Siraj also finds a place. Opener Prithvi Shaw, who was replaced by Shubhman Gill after the first Test in the Australia series, has also been excluded from the squad. On the all-rounder front, Ravindra Jadeja misses due to injury making way for spinner Axar Patel.
England's tour of India begins with a five-match Test series, followed by five-match T20I series from March 12 to 20 and a three-match ODI series from March 23 to 28.
Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel.
