Virat Kohli has Reserved his name from the first two tests against England. Will he available for the remaining three matches of the series?
After announcing the 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 finalize the roster for the remaining three Tests. The selectors are likely to have a formal meeting on January 30 on selection for the remaining matches of the Test assignment, although the board is yet to make it official. Although the team is likely to remain mostly the same, there is a big question mark over Virat Kohli’s return.
Will Virat Kohli return for the last 3 matches of the Test series?
Kohli decided to withdraw from the first two Test matches against England due to personal reasons. The BCCI stood in support of the former captain, but refused to disclose the matter which led to Virat’s late withdrawal.
The Indian board’s press release confirmed that Kohli will not play in the first two matches. But, no update has come yet on his return. It seems that the Dynamic batsman is going through a difficult personal phase which has kept him away from social media as well. It will be interesting to see whether he returns in the last three matches of the series or not.
After injuries to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, BCCI on Monday included Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar and Washington Sundar in the Test squad for the second match in Vizag.
Although Rahul’s injury does not appear to be serious, reports claim that Jadeja may be out for a long time. With Kuldeep Yadav waiting on the bench, selection of spinners for the second Test will not be easy for the team management.
Sundar has come in as a replacement for Jadeja while Kuldeep is a more specialist spinner. After India’s defeat in the first Test, some players are under pressure and BCCI may decide to bring in some new faces to make a comeback.
Updated India squad for 2nd Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (captain),Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad. Mukesh Kumar, Siraj,Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Rajat Patidar, Avesh Khan, Sarfaraz Khan,Saurabh Kumar, Washington Sundar.