IND vs ENG: The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the 16-member Indian squad for the first two test matches of the five-match home Test Series against England, and the series will commence on January 25th. Youngster Dhruv Jurel has been included in the squad as the backup wicketkeeper, as 25-year-old Ishan Kishan, who had taken a break from cricket due to being mentally fatigued, has not been included in the Men in Blue’s squad for the first two Test matches.
Arjuna Award winner Mohammed Shami has not been named in the squad as he is still recovering from the ankle injury he suffered during the 2023 ODI World Cup in November. Avesh Khan has been included in the team in place of Prasidh Krishna, who failed to deliver in the recently concluded two-match Test Series against South Africa.
Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have returned to the test squad after both of them were not included in the squad against the Proteas. Fast bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who didn’t perform well in the South Africa test series, has been dropped from the team.
Indian Squad for the first two Test Matches vs England
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (WK), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, Jasprit Bumrah (Vice-Captain) and Avesh Khan.
India vs England Test Series full schedule
- 1st Test: January 25–29, Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
- 2nd Test: February 2–6, Dr. Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy, ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
- 3rd Test: February 15–19, Saurashtra Cricket Association, Rajkot
- 4th Test: February 23–27, JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi
- 5th Test: March 7–11, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
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For more details head to BCCI’s official website.