Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday named India’s squad for upcoming Test series against hosts England. The 18-man squad announced is for first three matches. Uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, as expected, were included in the squad. The middle-order batsman, Rohit Sharma, however, was dropped from the squad. Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha also missed out after he failed to recover on time from a thumb injury suffered during the Indian Premier League 2018 (IPL 2018).

India’s Test squad sees the return of fast-bowler Mohammed Shami who cleared a fitness test recently. Shami missed the Afghanistan Test and limited-overs series’ against England after he failed to clear the yo-yo test in June. Meanwhile, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who aggravated a lower back condition during the third and final ODI, will be assessed by the medical team and after that, it will be clear whether he will be available for selection or not. Also, pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be available to play from second test onwards. This Is How Virender Sehwag Reacted After Virat Kohli and Co Lost to England in 3rd ODI.

“Bhuvneshwar Kumar aggravated a lower back condition in the 3rd ODI against England. His condition is being assessed by the BCCI medical team and a call on his inclusion in the Test squad will be made soon. Jasprit Bumrah who has been included in the squad will be available for selection from the 2nd Test onwards based on his fitness,” read a BCCI statement.

Meanwhile, middle-order batsman Karun Nair and uncapped pacer Shardul Thakur also found a place in the squad.

India Test squad for first three Test vs England:

Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2018 03:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).