India vs England: Umesh Yadav set to join Test squad
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced Team India's squad for the final two Tests against England. Reportedly, pace spearhead Umesh Yadav is set to join the team in Ahmedabad. After his fitness assessment, the 33-year-old will replace Shardul Thakur, who will be released for Vijay Hazare Trophy. Here is more on the same.
Information
A look at India's squad for third and fourth Test
Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Details
A look at the other details
The Indian cricket board has also picked five net bowlers in the form of Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Warrier, Krishnappa Gowtham and Saurabh Kumar. Meanwhile, the two standby players are KS Bharat and Rahul Chahar. That apart, the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem and Priyank Panchal have also been released besides Shardul to take part in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Players
Umesh yet to clear the fitness test
After the MCG Test, Umesh was ruled out of the series Down Under due to calf muscle injury. The fast bowler had returned to undergo rehabilitation. If he clears the fitness test, he will likely share the new ball alongside Bumrah in the third Test. Meanwhile, KL Rahul, who has recovered from a sprain in wrist, will also be eligible for the third Test.
Series
The four-match series is poised at 1-1
Team India would aim to carry the momentum after staging a comeback victory in the recently concluded Chepauk Test. The four-match Test series is presently poised at 1-1. Notably, the upcoming Test, which will be a Day-Night affair at the newly-built Motera Stadium, will be a do-or-die clash for the teams with respect to the ICC World Test Championship.