IND vs BAN: BCCI announce India Team squad for Chennai Test. Top talking points from the squad.
India have announced their squad for the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, which begins on September 19. Rishabh Pant has made a return to red-ball cricket after his car accident that saw him being sidelined for a year. KL Rahul too makes a comeback. There have been new additions to the squad in Yash Dayal, who earns his maiden national call-up. Here’s a look at the talking points of India's squad for the Chennai Test against Bangladesh.
Mohammed Shami gets extended rest
Mohammed Shami is still recovering from ankle surgery, and hence, he has been excluded from the first Test squad. He has been given a longer break to get fully fit ahead of tougher challenges in the current World Test Championship cycle. However, he is likely to feature in subsequent domestic matches to get match fit and may play the New Zealand Test series at home ahead of the tough Test series Down Under. But the team management is unlikely to rush their premier bowler and may give him a break for the full home Test series to have him fully fit for the series Down Under.
Shreyas Iyer dropped
Iyer’s stock has depleted quickly in recent times. He had a great start to his Test career but has fallen apart quickly. His apparent weakness against short ball and diminishing returns against spin bowling in home conditions have seen him lose his place in the Test squad. Although he struck 54 off 44 balls in India D’s second innings against India C in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, the knock could not convince the selectors who opted for KL Rahul in the middle order. Rahul had twin knocks of 37 (111) and 57 (121) for India A and showed patience and temperament to grind it out in the middle. Such skills could come in handy against the quality of Bangladesh spinners. Also, Rahul could double up as the reserve keeper in the XI. Shreya Iyer needs to consistently score runs to earn a comeback in the Test squad.
Akash Deep gets another opportunity
Akash Deep had a memorable Test debut when he took the first three England wickets to fall in the Ranchi Test earlier this year. He showed great skills with the new ball. Continuing his rich form in the Duleep Trophy, he took 9 wickets against India B. He has been rewarded for his consistent performance. Deep might not get the chance in the Chennai Test, but he will be the backup to Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Siraj if and when they are rested.
Yash Dayal rewarded
India needed a left-arm pacer to add variety to their pace attack, and Yash Dayal fits the bill in terms of skills, accuracy, and consistency. He may or may not get a chance in the home series, but he is set to be groomed under new bowling coach Morne Morkel to get him ready for the tough five-match Test series against Australia Down Under. A left-arm pacer in Australia could give India a slight edge to exploit the roughs created by the right-arm bowlers. If India rests either Bumrah or Siraj, Dayal may be allowed the chance to get ready for the tougher battles ahead.
Team India Squad for Chennai Test: 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.
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