New Delhi: Rishabh Pant is set to make his Test comeback after nearly 20 months while Virat Kohli also returns to the Test fold as India have announced their squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Pant has not played Test cricket for India since December 2022 and is all set to feature in the whites for the first time since recovering from the horrific car crash suffered a couple of years back.
The wicket-keeper batter made his comeback to competitive cricket after nearly 15 months during the IPL 2024 earlier this year before making his return for Team India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Pant has not looked back ever since and has gone on to prove his form and fitness to regain his spot in the Test squad for the Bangladesh series.
Kohli, who missed the Test series against England at home earlier this year due to the birth of his son, is also set to make his comeback in the longest format against the visitors. Apart from Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will also be back in action after getting a well-deserved break. While Rohit and Kohli featured in the ODI series against Sri Lanka last month, Bumrah was rested.
Senior spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who are not featuring in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, will reunite in the Test series against Bangladesh at home. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are the other two spinners to have been included in the squad. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and debutant Yash Dayal will partner Bumrah in the pace attack.
Maiden Test call up for Yash Dayal
Yong left-arm pacer Dayal has received his maiden Test call-up for the Test series against Bangladesh. Dayal, who plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has done well for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit. He recently featured for India B in their clash against India A in the ongoing Duleep Trophy and returned with 4 wickets in the two innings combined to help his team win the game.
KL Rahul keeps his place, No Shreyas Iyer
KL Rahul has been included in the squad despite the selectors going with Pant and young Dhruv Jurel as the two wicket-keeper batters. Rahul is likely to play as a pure batter to add steel in the middle order. Shreyas Iyer is a notable exclusion from the squad. The middle-order batter is currently leading India D in the Duleep Trophy.
With Kohli returning to the squad, it remains to be seen if Sarfaraz Khan will be able to make the cut in the XI. Jadeja is likely to be the first-choice all-rounder but is expected to face intense competition from Axar Patel, who has been doing well with the bat and the ball consistently. The first Test between India and Bangladesh will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 19.
India’s squad for the 1st Test against Bangladesh:
Rohit Sharma (C), 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.
Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant will make their comebacks as they have been included in India’s squad for the first Test of the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh. Young pacer Yash Dayal has received his maiden call-up for the series. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
