Indian Test squad for the upcoming home series against England has been announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The first two Tests of the five-match series will be played between India and England.
Rohit Sharma led the Indian team to their first victory in Cape Town on January 4, which helped them secure the top position in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings. The first match of the series is scheduled to happen on January 25 at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Dhruv Jurel, a 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Uttar Pradesh, has been chosen to join the national team for the first time and he has been included in the Indian Test Squad for first two.He will be the third option as a wicketkeeper, alongside KL Rahul and KS Bharat. Jurel’s selection may come as a surprise to some, as he has been chosen over Ishan Kishan. However, his recent impressive performances, such as scoring a half-century for India A against South Africa A and a strong performance in Uttar Pradesh’s opening match in the Ranji Trophy 2024, have earned him this opportunity in Indian test Squad.
Dhruv started playing first-class cricket in 2022. Before that, he played for the Indian under-19 team, where he led them to win the U-19 Asia Cup in 2019 and served as the vice-captain in the 2020 U-19 World Cup. His performance in first-class cricket is remarkable with an average score of 46.47, which includes scoring a century and five half-centuries. Moreover, Dhruv has played in both List A and T20 matches, and he was recruited by the Rajasthan Royals for 20 lakh Indian Rupees in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After making his IPL debut in 2023, he has been kept on by the team for the 2024 season.
Even though they have impressive backgrounds, experienced players Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ishan Kishan have not been chosen for the Indian test Squad. The other players in the batting order are similar to the team that went to South Africa.
Avesh Khan has joined the bowling team led by vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, along with Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar, to give more options for fast bowling. India’s strategy for the series relies heavily on their spinners, and Kuldeep Yadav has been selected to support regular spinners R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel.
Indian Test Squad for first 2 Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.