New Delhi: The 16-member India Test squad for the two-match Bangladesh series bid goodbye to Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Yash Dayal as they were released by the BCCI on Monday. The troika didn’t get to play in any of the two Test matches against Bangladesh as they helped the team in the practice sessions and were often called on the field during the action as substitute fielders.
It was expected that any one player from the group would feature in the ongoing Kanpur Test but India skipper Rohit Sharma at the toss announced he is going with the same team that played the Chennai Test. With just the final day remaining of the Kanpur Test, the BCCI released the three players from the Indian squad a day before the game concluded.
Why were they released?
Sarfaraz, Jurel, and Dayal will be taking part in the Irani Cup scheduled in Lucknow which will see a one-off contest between Mumbai and the Rest of India, set to be played from Tuesday (October 1) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Mumbai, the winners of the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy, qualified for the tournament and will be taking on a set of domestic players from the whole of India.
The BCCI took to its social media handle on “X” (formerly Twitter) and informed about the release of these players. “Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Yash Dayal have been released from India’s Test squad to participate in the Irani Cup, scheduled to commence tomorrow in Lucknow.”
Update: Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been released from India’s Test squad to participate in the #IraniCup, scheduled to commence tomorrow in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/E0AsPuIVYX
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 30, 2024
The Mumbai team will be led by ex-India skipper Ajinkya Rahane while India and Maharashtra batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain the rest of India. Sarfaraz will link up with his Mumbai squad, which will be missing the services of his younger brother and promising batter Musheer Khan, who was involved in a road accident and suffered a neck fracture while travelling to the Uttar Pradesh capital for the tournament on September 28.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper batter Jurel and Dayal, who is yet to receive his India cap, will be joining the Rest of India squad. When the BCCI announced the ROI squad, it informed that the availability of these three players depends upon them not being involved in the second Test between India and Bangladesh.
Mumbai squad for Irani Cup:
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Siddhant Addhatrao (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohammad Juned Khan, Royston Dias.
Rest of India squad for Irani Cup:
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar.
Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Yash Dayal have been released from the Indian Test squad that currently partakes in the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. The squad has been reduced to 13 members – here’s why! Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
