3 takeaways from India's squad for the first two Tests vs. England
The Indian cricket team's squad for the first two Test matches against England has been announced, and there are several notable takeaways. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 16-member squad on Friday, January 12.
The opening Test of the five-match series will commence on 25 January, with the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad scheduled to host the fixture. The second Test will be played in Vizag on February 2.
The 16-member strong squad features an uncapped wicket-keeper in Dhruv Jurel, who earned his maiden call-up to the national side. Unsurprisingly, India have gone spin-heavy with the return of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
While most of the inclusions were on expected lines, one of the major names missing from the squad is Mohammed Shami. The star pacer is absent as he is currently recovering from an injury.
With the series beginning in less than two weeks from now, let's take a look at the top three takeaways from the Indian squad.
#3 Three wicket-keepers selected but Ishan Kishan doesn't find a spot
It was unusual to see as many as three wicket-keepers getting selected for a home Test series for India. What was more surprising was the exclusion of Ishan Kishan, who made his Test debut in the West Indies last year.
India have instead included KL Rahul, KS Bharat, and Dhruv Jurel. The exclusion of Kishan has garnered more eyeballs on the back of a controversy involving him and the Indian team management.
The controversy began when Kishan was dropped for the ongoing Afghanistan T20I series despite being the team's regular backup wicketkeeper.
Previously, reports suggested that Kishan sought a break due to mental fatigue. However, some media reports even emerged that said that the Jharkhand-born player was dropped due to disciplinary actions against him.
Having said that, India head coach Rahul Dravid rebuffed any reports of disciplinary actions. He instead claimed that the 25-year-old made himself unavailable for selection for the Afghanistan series.
#2 Prasidh Krishna doesn't make the cut
As Mohammed Shami missed the tour to South Africa, India handed a Test debut to Prasidh Krishna. The lanky pacer was expected to use his height to his advantage in the helpful conditions of that country.
However, he had a forgettable debut Test series as Krishna took just two wickets across three innings at a poor average of 65.00 and an economy rate of 4.64.
The Karnataka-born pacer has now not been selected for the first two Tests against England. It must be noted that Krishna picked up an injury on his left quadriceps during his state team's Ranji Trophy fixture against Gujarat.
Apart from having Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mukesh Kumar as the first-choice pacers, India have handed a call-up to Avesh Khan, who is yet to make his Test debut.
#1 Dhruv Jurel earns his maiden call-up
The most surprising name on the Indian roster for the Test series was that of Dhruv Jurel. The Uttar Pradesh wicket-keeper is known for his impressive performances in domestic cricket and for India A.
The 22-year-old grabbed the headlines last year as he became a regular in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) side in IPL 2023. In 11 innings, he starred with 152 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 172.73.
While his finishing role was acknowledged by all, one must also note that Jurel has a wonderful record in red-ball cricket too.
The right-hander has thus far played 15 first-class matches, accumulating 790 runs at an average of 46.47. He even scored 249 runs in a Ranji Trophy match against Nagaland in 2022.
His call-up to the Test squad reflects the team management's confidence in his abilities and the potential opportunity for him to make his Test debut. This is especially considering the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Ishan Kishan's availability and selection.
Jurel's inclusion has generated significant interest and discussion among cricket enthusiasts and experts, given the competition for the wicketkeeper's spot in the team.
India's Test squad for the first two Tests vs England:
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan