Reports | Dinesh Karthik to extend England stay for Tests; Mohammed Shami clears yo-yo test

Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik has been in fine form ever since he was called up to the ODI and T20 squad for the South Africa tour earlier this year. His match-winning six in the final of the Nidahas Trophy against Bangladesh was the icing on the cake of what was an impressive comeback that the Chennai-born batsman made to the national setup.

His exploits as the skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders also earned him rave reviews and also prompted the Indian selectors to include his name on the Indian limited-overs squad that have travelled to the United Kingdom. Opportunities in the starting XI have been hard to come by for Karthik due to the presence of the effervescent MS Dhoni, but his dedication and passion have not gone unnoticed by coach, Ravi Shastri.

Recent reports have suggested that Karthik is more than likely to extend his stay in Europe as the BCCI will name the squad for next month’s Test series in the coming week. Karthik could retain a spot in the 15-man Test squad ahead of Wriddhiman Saha who is still recovering from an injury.

Amongst other news, Delhi Daredevils’ pacer Mohammed Shami, who was ruled out of the limited-overs series after he failed to clear the BCCI-mandated yo-yo test, managed to do so on his second attempt. Shami's trip to England will certainly boost Team India’s spirits, especially with Jasprit Bumrah still struggling with a fractured thumb. Bumrah is still struggling to get back into the game as he recovers from the fracture as TOI reports have revealed that there's a good chance that he might have to miss it".

Almost 13 of the 15-member Test squad are expected to keep their places as the three openers - Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul - retain their slot while skipper Virat Kohli will return to the fold after opted out of the Test match against Afghanistan.