The BCCI on Friday (October 25) announced India Test squad for the tour of Australia which will start with the first match from November 22 in Perth.
A jumbo 18-member squad was announced, and three travelling reserves were also named.
The likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana received their maiden Test call up while Prasidh Krishna was also called back. Under-pressure India batter KL Rahul also managed to retained his place.
The Rohit Sharma-led squad also includes Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Washington Sundar, who was added in India squad ahead of the ongoing second Test against New Zealand.
However, there are also a few big names missing. We have shortlisted a list of five players who failed to find a place in the India squad for the five-Test series vs Australia.
India squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Five big names missing
Ruturaj Gaikwad: The Maharashtra opener again missed out on an India berth. He has been picked as the India A captain for the tour of Australia for two four-day matches, but was not included in the senior squad. Gaikwad recently scored a hundred against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
Kuldeep Yadav: The chinaman bowler will also miss the flight to Australia. He was part of the India squad for the previous two Test tours of Australia. BCCI explained the reason behind his omission and said, “Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he has been referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long term resolution of his chronic left groin issue”
Kuldeep Yadav was dropped from the India playing eleven for the second Test against New Zealand in Pune, and was replaced by Washington Sundar.
Axar Patel: The Gujarat all-rounder has climbed up the ladders with his batting and bowling performances but has been dropped from the Indian Test team. He did not get to play any of the two Tests against Bangladesh, and has warmed the bench against New Zealand as well. Washington Sundar has made his way into the Indian Test squad for the tour of Australia ahead of him.
Shreyas Iyer: The Mumbai middle-order batter also misses out. He last played a Test for India in February against England. The selectors retained KL Rahul, and the rise of Sarfaraz Khan in the middle-order has further pushed him down the pecking order. Shreyas Iyer recently scored a hundred against Maharashtra and also led India D in the Duleep Trophy.
Mohammed Shami: The pacer was expected to be fit for the all-important Test series against Australia. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had even confirmed his selection for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in advance.
However, the star pacer is still recovering post his Achilles tendon surgery earlier this year. Rohit Sharma recently revealed that Shami had an unusual swelling in knees which has delayed his comeback.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishan Kishan are a few other names who will not be part of the India vs Australia Test series. However, they have been out of reckoning for a while now. Kishan has been named in India A squad for Australia tour, while Rahane and Pujara are playing in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
