The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia, commencing on November 22 in Perth. The squad features several notable inclusions and exclusions.
Inclusions:
* Abhimanyu Easwaran: The Bengal opener has been rewarded for his consistent performances in domestic cricket, becoming the third-choice opener behind Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
* Harshit Rana: The seamer has enjoyed an impressive year, starring in an IPL title and earning a Test call-up after being selected in the white-ball squads.
* Nitish Rana: The Andhra Pradesh all-rounder has impressed in the T20 league and made his T20I debut against Bangladesh this month.
Exclusions:
* Mohammed Shami: The match-changing seamer has been ruled out due to a knee swelling, despite working tirelessly to recover from ankle surgery.
* Kuldeep Yadav: The left-arm spinner has been referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence to address his chronic left groin issue.
Other Notable Selections:
* Washington Sundar: The spin-bowling all-rounder has been included after taking seven wickets in the first innings against New Zealand in the ongoing second Test in Pune.
* Prasidh Krishna: The Karnataka seamer returns to the Test squad after debuting in South Africa and impressing in India A’s Duleep Trophy title win.
Reserves:
* Mukesh Kumar
* Navdeep Saini
* Khaleel Ahmed
The Indian squad will travel with a well-stocked pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Akash Deep has maintained his spot after impressive performances against England and Bangladesh.
