India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has shed light on the selection of uncapped players Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Gambhir praised Rana’s bowling prowess, stating that he has bowled extensively and is ready to face the Aussies with fresh legs. He also highlighted Reddy’s potential, expressing confidence that he can contribute significantly if given the opportunity.
Gambhir hinted at a shift in the team’s composition, suggesting that certain players may not be part of the future plans. However, he did not explicitly mention Shardul Thakur, who was surprisingly omitted from the squad.
“It’s about moving forward, and we believe this is the best set of players to represent the country,” Gambhir said.
Rana and Reddy have earned their selections based on impressive performances in the domestic circuit. Their inclusion comes after India’s disappointing home series loss to New Zealand, which has made their path to the World Test Championship (WTC) final more challenging.
To qualify for the WTC final, India must win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by 4-0. The series opener will be played in Perth, followed by a day-night Test in Adelaide, a match at The Gabba in Brisbane, the traditional Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, and the final Test in Sydney.
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Series:
* Rohit Sharma (c)
* Jasprit Bumrah (vc)
* Ravichandran Ashwin
* Mohammad Shami
* Abhimanyu Easwaran
* Shubman Gill
* Ravindra Jadeja
* Yashasvi Jaiswal
* Dhruv Jurel (wk)
* Sarfaraz Khan
* Virat Kohli
* Prasidh Krishna
* Rishabh Pant (wk)
* KL Rahul
* Harshit Rana
* Nitish Kumar Reddy
* Mohammed Siraj
* Washington Sundar
Australia’s squad for the first Test:
* Pat Cummins (c)
* Scott Boland
* Alex Carey
* Josh Hazlewood
* Travis Head
* Josh Inglis
* Usman Khawaja
* Marnus Labuschagne
* Nathan Lyon
* Mitch Marsh
* Nathan McSweeney
* Steve Smith
* Mitchell Starc
