JOIN USBumrah gets maiden Test call-up
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was named in India's 17-member squad for the three-Test series against South Africa, which starts from January 5. Parthiv Patel has also been recalled to the 17-member Test squad as the second wicketkeeper.
The 23-year-old Bumrah has impressed with the old ball in limited-overs cricket and holds a decent record at the domestic level, having picked 89 wickets in 26 first-class games.
Parthiv's inclusion was on expected lines because of his consistency in domestic cricket. The Gujarat wicketkeeper-batsman had previously played for India during Wriddhiman Saha's absence in the series against England last year and had scores of 42, 67 n.o., 15 and 71 in the three Tests.
"We picked Bumrah because he adds variety to the attack. He has been in excellent form with the ball too. He had a good domestic record. We feel bad for Kuldeep Yadav. But we felt Bumrah bowls the length that is needed when playing overseas. This is the most balanced team we are sending to South Africa," said National Selection Committee chairman MSK Prasad on Monday.
Prasad revealed that the name of Yuvraj Singh also came up for discussion but felt the swashbuckling left-hander needed to play more competitive cricket. "He has cleared the fitness test but we want to see him match-fit. The more he plays, good for him," Prasad said.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will lead the spin department. Seamers, apart from Bumrah, include Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav with pace-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya completing the line up.
The team will leave for South Africa on December 27.
Kohli rested for T20Is
Kohli, who was rested for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, will also be absent for the T20I series beginning from December 20 in Cuttack. Rohit Sharma will lead the team in his absence.
The T20 squad also includes three new faces Tamil Nadu's 18-year-old all-rounder Washington Sundar, Baroda batsman Deepak Hooda and Kerala fast bowler Basil Thampi. Saurashstra left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who last played international cricket in June 2016, has also been included.
India squad for South Africa Test: Virat Kohli (captain), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
India squad for Sri Lanka T20: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat.