In a major blow to the Indian side, injured batsman Rohit Sharma and spinner R Ashwin were ruled out of the second Test against Australia at Perth, starting 14 December. Prithvi Shaw too has been excluded from the 13-man team, having not recovered from an ankle injury.
With the trio unavailable for selection, the visitors included Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in a squad announced by BCCI on Thursday, 13 December.
While Shaw injured his ankle while fielding in the sole warmup game before the series opener, Ashwin suffered an abdominal strain and Rohit hurt his back during the first Test which India won by 31 runs.
“Prithvi Shaw is recovering well from his left ankle injury but still undergoing treatment. R Ashwin has a left-sided abdominal strain. He is receiving treatment at the moment. Rohit Sharma jarred his lower back while fielding in the 1st Test at Adelaide. He is undergoing treatment. He too is ruled out of the second Test.”BCCI in a statement
"The team management is closely monitoring these players and a call on their availability for the third Test will be taken at an appropriate time," it added.
Ashwin's unavailability is a big loss as he had taken a six-wicket haul at Adelaide to help India record their first win in a series opener in Australia.
Rohit, who made a Test comeback at the Adelaide Oval, was expected to retain his place in the eleven after scores of 37 and 1.
In place of the first Test’s eleven, Vihari and Jadeja are the likely replacements in India’s playing eleven. In his first and only Test in England, Vihari had scored a half-century and picked up three wickets in London.
India's Squad for Perth Test
- Virat Kohli (captain)
- M Vijay
- KL Rahul
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Hanuma Vihari
- Rishabh Pant
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ishant Sharma
- Mohammed Shami
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Umesh Yadav
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