Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya Return As BCCI Name Squad For First Two Tests Against England | Cricket News

Indian skipper Virat Kohli returned to the national side as the BCCI announced the Test squad to take on England in the first two matches of the upcoming four-match series on Tuesday. All-rounder Hardik Pandya and senior fast bower Ishant Sharma, who were not part of the just-concluded Test series in Australia, have made a comeback to the side. Ishant missed the series Down Under due to an injury he suffered during the IPL 2020, while Hardik was omitted as he hadn’t resumed bowling after undergoing a back surgery.

Leading fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who missed the fourth Test against Australia due to injuries, have also been named in the squad.

Given the spin-friendly nature of Indian pitch, the selectors have opted for an extra spinner in Axar Patel, along side the likes of Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar.

Promoted

Mohammed Siraj, who finished as India’s leading wicket-taker in Australia series with 13 wickets, has found a place, while Shardul Thakur, who had an impressive overseas debut, has also been inlcuded in the side.

In addition, the selectors have also named four reserve players KS Bharat, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar.