Rishabh Pant makes comeback to Tests, Yash Dayal gets maiden call-up

Rohit Sharma leads the test squad once again, with star batter Virat Kohli and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah also included

New Delhi: Rishabh Pant is set to complete his international cricket return after being included in India’s squad for the first test against Bangladesh next week.

Pant sustained serious knee and back injuries in an accident in December of 2022 and was sidelined for 15 months. He returned for the 2024 Indian Premier League, scoring 446 runs in 13 matches. He has also played one-day international cricket and was part of India’s squad that won the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States.

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India is kicking off its 2024-25 international season with tests against Bangladesh in Chennai and Kanpur. Rohit Sharma leads the test squad once again, with star batter Virat Kohli and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah also included. It will be new coach Gautam Gambhir’s first test assignment.

Lokesh Rahul has been recalled after missing the majority of the last test series against England because of injury but there was no room in the 16-man squad for Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar and KS Bharat.

Besides Pant, Dhruv Jurel is the second wicketkeeper-batter. Paceman Mohammed Shami is yet to complete his return from an Achilles tendon injury, leaving Akash Deep to partner with Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. India has also called up left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal as it considers its options ahead of the five-test tour to Australia beginning in November.

Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were all included in the extended squad.India leads the World Test Championship standings, followed by defending champion Australia.

Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.