In a BCCI announcement regarding the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh starting on September 19, Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has made his return. He will be playing Test cricket for India after almost 20 months due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Rohit Sharma is set to lead the team while both Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were included in the team list. Additionally, Akash Deep has been named in the squad alongside young pacer Yash Dayal who received his maiden call-up.
Christened Pant, he had featured during the second and last Test against Bangladesh at Mirpur from December 22-25, 2022 but met with an auto crash exactly five days later on December 30 whereby he could only come back into competitive 2017 IPL cricket.
Returning from injury to help lift national team trophy during this year’s T20 World Cup were however, 26 years old swashbuckler batter.
Shami failed to get into the Test squad despite the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar asserting that the right-arm pacer was looking forward to making a return for the first Test against Bangladesh.
The first of two Tests against Bangladesh in Chennai will kick off India’s lengthy Test season on September 19.
The second Test of the series will be played between these teams at the Green Park Stadium from September 27 to October 1.
So far, India has had 13 encounters with Bangladesh in Tests, winning 11 and drawing 2.
When they enter this series, Bangladesh will come after a historic 2-0 win over Pakistan in the rival’s backyard while for India; it is their first assignment in Tests since defeating England 4-1 at home in January-March period earlier this year.
India’s squad for the 1st Test of the Bangladesh Test series: 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, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.
