After announcing replacements for injured KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja for the second Test against England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee is likely to sit and finalise the roster for the remaining three Tests. The selectors are likely to have a formal meeting on the selection for the remaining matches of the Test assignment on January 30, though the board hasn’t made it official yet. Though the squad is likely to mostly remain the same, there is a big question mark on he return of Virat Kohli.
Will Virat Kohli Return For Last 3 Matches Of Test Series?
Kohli decided to withdraw from the first two Tests against England, owing to a personal reason. The BCCI stood in support with the former skipper but refused to reveal the matter that prompted late withdrawal from Virat.
The press release from the Indian board confirmed that Kohli would miss the first two matches. But, there hasn’t been an update on his return yet. The talismanic batter seems to be going through a rough personal phase that has kept him away from social media as well. Whether he returns for the last three matches of the series or not, would be interesting to see.
On Monday, the BCCI added Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar to the Test squad for the second match in Vizag, following the injuries to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja.
While Rahul’s injury doesn’t seem to be serious, reports claim that Jadeja could be out for a longer period. With Kuldeep Yadav waiting on the bench, the selection of spinners for the second Test wouldn’t be the easiest for the team management.
Sundar has come in as like-for-like replacement for Jadeja while Kuldeep is a more specialist spinner. After India’s loss in the first Test, certain players are under pressure and the BCCI could decide to bring in a few fresh faces in a bid to make a comeback.
India’s updated Squad for 2nd Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar.
