The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India’s 16-man squad for the first two Tests against England, set to begin on January 25th. Among the notable inclusions is 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel, who has earned his maiden call-up as a back-up wicketkeeping option. However, the squad does not include Ishan Kishan, who is reportedly taking a break from cricket due to mental fatigue.
Another absence from the squad is veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who is still recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in November last year. Although Shami expressed optimism about returning to the Test squad, the selectors have decided to give him further rest as a precautionary measure ahead of the final stages of the series against England.
In addition to Shami, the fast-bowling line-up will also be without Prasidh Krishna, who featured in both games of the Test series in South Africa but only managed to pick up two wickets for 130 runs. It was reported that Krishna suffered a quadriceps injury on the first day of Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy clash against Gujarat in Ahmedabad.
On the other hand, Avesh Khan has retained his place in the squad. Following his impressive performance for India A during the South Africa tour, he was added to the main squad ahead of the match in Cape Town. Avesh will join the likes of vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mukesh Kumar to form a familiar-looking strong pace attack for India. The spin combination will consist of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav.
One of the surprises in the squad is the addition of Uttar Pradesh cricketer Dhruv Jurel, who will serve as a back-up wicketkeeper to KL Rahul and KS Bharat. Jurel was part of the India A team that played two matches against their South African counterparts in December last year. He impressed with a score of 69 in the second match at Benoni and also scored 63 for Uttar Pradesh against Kerala in the first round group game of the Ranji Trophy. Jurel, who made his First-Class debut last year against Vidarbha, has so far accumulated 790 runs from 15 matches at an average of 46, including a century and five fifties in domestic cricket.
This series against England will be India’s third assignment in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle and their first at home. They previously won a two-match series in the West Indies 1-0, with the second game ending in a draw. Earlier this year, they held hosts South Africa to a 1-1 draw in a two-match series.
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India’s squad for the first two Tests against England includes Rohit Sharma as the captain, along with Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul as wicketkeeper, KS Bharat as a wicketkeeper, Dhruv Jurel as a wicketkeeper, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah as vice-captain, and Avesh Khan.
Overall, the squad boasts a good mix of experienced players and promising youngsters, providing India with a strong team to take on England in the upcoming Tests.
