BCCI announces Indian squad for remaining three Tests

Gautam Gambhir, who was dropped from the starting lineup for the second Test against England after scoring 29 and 0 in his two innings of the first Test at Rajkot, has been dropped from the squad. This might signal the end of the Test career for the 35-year-old, who returned to the Test squad after a gap of 2 years in the Test series against New Zealand as a replacement for the injured KL Rahul. However, with Rahul back in the team, Gambhir was no longer required in the squad for the final three Tests. The southpaw is currently playing in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Rajasthan.

The selection committee has also recalled Bhuvneshwar Kumar into the squad. The 26-year-old was missing from the squad after suffering a back strain during the second Test against New Zealand at the Eden Gardens. He made a return to playing competitive cricket in Uttar Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai earlier this month. Having proven his fitness, the pacer has made his way back into the team.

The squad is as follows:

Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (Vice- Captain), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha (Wicket Keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya