The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named a 16-man squad for the first two Tests against England, which begin on January 25. 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel earned his first call-up as a backup wicketkeeper, as Ishan Kishan, who had reportedly taken a break from cricket due to mental fatigue, was not included.
The roster notably excludes veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who is still recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in November last year. Though the selectors presumably wanted him to take additional time off as a precaution before the last four games of the series against England, he was enthusiastic about rejoining the Test team.
In addition to Shami, Prasidh Krishna, who played in both of the Test series' games in South Africa and took just two wickets for 130 runs, is not included in the fast-bowling lineup. According to early reports on Friday, the pacer had a quadriceps injury while playing in a domestic tournament.
However, Avesh Khan has managed to hold onto his spot in the team. Avesh’s inclusion in the team alongside, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mukesh Kumar forms a familiar-looking strong pace attack for India, while Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav make up the spin combo.
India vs England: The debutant Dhruv Jurel
Image Source: X(Twitter)/Dhruv Jurel
The surprising inclusion to the squad is Uttar Pradesh cricketer Dhruv Jurel, who will serve as KL Rahul's backup wicketkeeper. The youngster was part of India A team, which played two matches against South Africa in December of last year. Jurel scored 69 in the second Benoni match, and he struck 63 for Uttar Pradesh against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy's first-round group match. In 15 games, the 22-year-old has amassed 790 runs at an average of 46, including five fifty-fives in the domestic circuit. He made his First-Class debut against Vidarbha last year.
Here is India's squad for the Tests vs England
In order of appearance: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Image Source: X(Twitter)/BCCI.
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