The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 16-member Indian squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming five-match series against England. Dhruv Jurel has earned his maiden national team call-up, whilst Ishan Kishan does not feature in the squad.
The 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Uttar Pradesh, Jurel has played first-class matches, wherein he has scored 790 runs at an average of 46.47. In the first match of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, he accumulated 63 runs against Kerala.
Prior to that match, he played a 69-run knock in India A’s unofficial Test against South Africa A in Benoni, against a bowling unit that comprised veterans like Duanne Olivier and Bjorn Fortuin.
Barring his domestic performances, Jurel also was a revelation in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Playing for Rajasthan Royals, the 2020 U19 World Cup squad’s member scored 152 runs.
Jurel is among the three wicketkeepers in the squad, with KL Rahul and KS Bharat being the other two. Ishan Kishan – who was unavailable for the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan, but was touted to return in the England series – is not a part of the squad.
India Go Spin Heavy as Axar Patel Reclaims His Place
The batting core has been left unaltered, with Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer all retaining their places from the South Africa tour. There are, however, changes in the bowling department.
With the pitches expected to suit the spinners, India have selected Axar Patel as the third spin option, with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin being mainstays.
Subsequently, only four seamers have been selected, with Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur – who were both unimpressive in the series against South Africa – not finding a slot in the squad. Mohammed Shami does not feature in the squad for the first two Tests as he is recovering from his ankle injury, albeit he is expected to return for the latter stages of the series.
India’s squad for the first two Tests against England:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.
The first Test will be played in Hyderabad, before the entourage moves to the neighbouring city of Visakhapatnam. The teams will travel to Rajkot and Ranchi for the third and fourth Tests respectively, before the action concludes amid the hills, in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamsala.
India vs England Test series schedule:
1st Test – Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad (25-29 January)
2nd Test – Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam (2-6 February)
3rd Test – Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot (15-19 February)
4th Test – JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi (23-27 February)
5th Test – HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala (7-11 March)
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