Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are back in the squad
Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- India announced the squad for the Test series against Bangladesh
- Virat Kohli returns to the squad
- The first Test will start on September 19
India have announced the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, which will begin on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rohit Sharma will return to lead the side, which marks the comeback of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant to the side in the longest format.
Kohli missed the five Test matches against England earlier in the year due to personal reasons, marking the first time since 2011 he did not play a single match in an entire series in the longest format. Meanwhile, Pant will play Test cricket for India after 21 months, with his last outing in whites for the national team coming in December 2022 against Bangladesh just a week before his car accident.
While the squad has been picked on expected lines, the big news comes in the form of a maiden call-up to the Indian Test team for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Yash Dayal. Dayal won the fight among left-arm pacers, with Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed also considered in the reckoning.
Dayal was among the select pacers awarded a special fast-bowlers contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) earlier this year. The 26-year-old has an impressive record in first-class cricket with 76 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 28.89.
The series opener will mark the first time both Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja play for India in any format since the 2024 T20 World Cup final, as both were not on the flight to Zimbabawe and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin will play international cricket for the first time since March.
This match marks the start of a busy Test summer for the Rohit-led team, as they are set to play 10 matches in the longest format in the next four months, with a home series against New Zealand and a blockbuster tour of Australia to follow.
The squad for the second Test set to take place in Kanpur from October 1 is only expected after the first Test ends. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, and Yash Dayal are expected to miss the second round of Duleep Trophy matches.
India Squad For 1st Test vs Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.
