The Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) on Monday announced the 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand. The duo was part of the squad that played in the recently-concluded four-match Test series in West Indies.
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The first Test of this 3-match series is scheduled to start on September 22 in Kanpur.
The squad: Virat Kohli (capt), M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav. “But we have stuck to the combination which has done very well overseas”.
“Everyone, from selectors, coaches and the captain, felt that Rohit is a fabulous player and he needed a longer run”, Patil said justifying the selection. “We were of the opinion that this was the best possible combination for New Zealand”, chief selector Sandeep Patil said.
This is India’s busiest domestic season in almost four decades; besides New Zealand, they will play England, Bangladesh and Australia in 10 more Test matches.
Although Sharma’s exploits in limited overs cricket is well documented, test cricket has always seemed to be an Achilles heel for the batsman. The team, which has been chosen by the BCCI for the NZ series, is a well-balanced unit, with a good mix of quality batsmen and bowlers, who can trouble the visitors, and help India win the series. Kohli will also be pleased by Cheteshwar Pujara’s timely double century in the Duleep trophy final, after having struggled for runs in West Indies.
This was the last meeting for the present selection committee and chairman Patil revealed that Gautam Gambhir’s name was also discussed along with other seniors.
“It is not just Gautam Gambhir, we also have many senior players”.
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“We had discussions with both Anil and Virat and we all felt that the team had done well in the Caribbean and there was no need of making any major changes to the side”, Patil said after the meeting. Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are the three pacemen in India’s squad. After a break of three days, the action will shift to Eden Gardens in Kolkata for the second Test from September 30 before the final game in Indore from October 8.
