IND vs AUS Test: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced an 18-member squad on Friday for the high-profile five-match Test series against Australia. The highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar series, named after India’s legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar and Australia’s all-time great Allan Border, is set to kick off on November 22 with the first Test match in Perth.
IND vs AUS Test: Shami misses out due to an injury
Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian contingent against Australia, with Jasprit Bumrah serving as the vice-captain. There were few surprises in the squad, as most players currently part of India’s squad against New Zealand retained their places.
The biggest talking point, however, was Mohammed Shami‘s absence due to ongoing injury issues. Hopes were high that the veteran fast bowler might recover in time, but a recent setback during rehabilitation delayed his return to the field.
India will also be without star spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who will undergo an intensive rehabilitation program to address his chronic left groin issue after the New Zealand series. Regarding Kuldeep, the BCCI released the following statement:
“Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia, as he has been referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence following the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long-term resolution of his chronic left groin issue.”
India won’t be short of experience though as players such as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, and Mohammad Siraj, together with captain and vice-captain, will be representing the team down under.
In terms of bowling, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj will spearhead the pace attack, while Akash Deep also found a place following some impressive performances. In terms of spinners, there’s no surprise here as veteran stalwarts R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are the main options, while Washington Sundar, who has taken 10 wickets in the ongoing 2nd test match against New Zealand, was also named in the squad. Axar Patel, on the other hand, was left out.
Here’s the full squad:
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), 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 Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
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— BCCI (@BCCI) October 25, 2024
Squads for India’s tour of South Africa & Border-Gavaskar Trophy announced 🔽#TeamIndia | #SAvIND | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Z4eTXlH3u0
