BCCI announces 18-member squad for Tests against England, Kohli-Pandya-Ishant return

First Published Jan 19, 2021, 8:23 PM IST

India and England are scheduled to face off against each other in a four-Test series for the Anthony de Mello Trophy, currently held by India. The series would see some of the top players' return, while it would also have some notable inclusion of young players.

As Team India continues to celebrate its success in the just-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in Australia, the build-up for the side's upcoming Tests against England at home is already underway. The Board of Control for Cricket in India and the selection panel, headed by Chetan Sharma, has announced an 18-member squad for the four-Test series, for the Anthony de Mello Trophy, starting February 5.

The squad witnesses some of the top players' return, like skipper Virat Kohli, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya and veteran pacer Ishant Sharma. The squad also bolsters some talented young guns, who are coming off a commendable success in Australia, like Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.

Apart from the original squad, the side would also possess some fine net bowlers, as in Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Warrier, Krishnappa Gowtham and Saurabh Kumar. Among the standby players are KS Bharat, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar and Priyank Panchal.

Full Test squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.