BCCI has chosen Rajat Patidar to replace Virat Kohli for the first two matches of the upcoming test series. The RCB star has been given an opportunity in the India XI ahead of many veteran players like Chetershwara Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Patidar was the unanimous choice of the selection committee, meaning that selectors didn’t want to give more chances to Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwara Pujara while Sarfaraz Khan who has been a star performer in the domestic circuit in the recent past will have to wait for his maiden call to the Indian side.
BCCI had announced on Monday that Virat Kohli has decided to withdraw from the first two Tests of the five-match series owing to ‘personal reasons’.
In a statement about the star batter’s unavailability, BCCI said, “Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” BCCI said in an official statement.
“The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli’s privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series,” the top cricketing body added.
India and England squads:
England Test squad: Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (Wk), Dan Lawrence, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.
India test squad (for first 2 matches):
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar
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Published: 24 Jan 2024, 02:06 PM IST