INDIA TOUR OF BANGLADESH, 2022
Saini’s last Test was in Australia last year. © Getty
Navdeep Saini, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Jaydev Unadkat and Saurabh Kumar have been added to the Indian Test squad for the Bangladesh series, the BCCI confirmed on Sunday (December 11).
Cricbuzz previously revealed that the board opted to draft in Unadkat and Saurabh in place of the injured duo of Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. But apart from Unadkat and Saurabh, the BCCI has also confirmed Saini’s recall to the Indian Test side. The 30-year-old fast bowler hasn’t played for India in over a year and his most recent Test appearance came in Australia last year.
Regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who was a doubtful starter for the Test series after getting injured during the second ODI, met a specialist in Mumbai and has been advised to rest. He will therefore not be available for the opening Test match, as a result of which Easwaran has been drafted in. The uncapped opener scored centuries in both the games against Bangladesh A recently.
The BCCI medical team will later take a call on Rohit’s participation in the second Test. While KL Rahul will lead the side in Rohit’s absence, Cheteshwar Pujara has been named the vice captain. The last time India played a Test match (in England earlier this year), Rishabh Pant was named vice-captain even though Pujara was present in the squad.
India’s updated squad:KL Rahul (C), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat
© Cricbuzz
