After weeks of controversy, finally, Rohit Sharma has been included in the squad for the tour of Australia. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the revised squads for the upcoming Australia tour. The selection committee led by Sunil Joshi met on Sunday to take the final decision regarding the squad, visiting Australia this month.
After so much controversy over Rohit Sharma‘s injury, the selectors have added him in the Test squad and rested him for ODI and T20I series to regain full fitness.
“The BCCI Medical Team has been monitoring Rohit Sharma’s fitness and has briefed All-India Senior Selection Committee on the same. In consultation with Mr Sharma, it has been decided to rest him for the ODIs and T20Is in Australia to regain full fitness and he has been included in India’s Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” the board said in a media release issued on Monday.
Virat Kohli Granted Paternity Leave:
In another development, the selectors provided Team’s skipper Virat Kohli paternity leave. Kohli will fly back to India after the first of the four-match Test series. He and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting the birth of their first child early in January while the first Test (Day-night) between India and Australia is scheduled to be played from December 17 – December 21 in Adelaide.
“At the selection committee meeting held on October 26th, 2020, Mr Virat Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plans to return to India after the first Test in Adelaide. The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain. He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide,” BCCI’s statement read in a release. Sanju Samson, meanwhile, has been added to the ODI squad as an additional wicket-keeper.
Varun Chakravarthy Dropped From Squad:
Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty, who had a brilliant season so far, has been dropped from the squad due to a shoulder injury. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer T Natarajan has been selected as his replacement. He has impressed all the cricketing fraternity in the IPL 2020 bowling in the death overs.
Talking about Ishant Sharma, he continues to recover and will be added to the Test squad after regaining full fitness.
A call on the availability of Wriddhiman Saha, who has hamstring tear, will be taken later. Sanju Samson has been added to the ODI squad as an additional wicket-keeper. Young fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti will not be able to travel to Australia as he is still working with the medical team on his bowling workload management.
Team India is scheduled to play three ODIs, as many T20Is and four Test matches on the tour of Australia. The ODIs will start on November 27 followed by matches on November 29 and December 2. The T20Is will be held on December 4, 6 and 8 followed by the first of the four-Test matches in Adelaide from December 17.
The Revised Squads for India Tour of Australia
India T20Is Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-capt, wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan
India ODIs Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-capt, wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wk)
India Tests Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj