Rahul to lead India in first Test vs Bangladesh in absence of injured Rohit; Saini, Saurabh replace Shami, Jadeja

Dec 12, 2022

Rahul to lead India in first Test vs Bangladesh in absence of injured Rohit; Saini, Saurabh replace Shami, Jadeja Image

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Sunday that opener K.L. Rahul will lead India in the first of two Test matches against Bangladesh in Rohit Sharma's absence. Sharma has been ruled out of the opening match owing to a left thumb injury.

During the second One-Day International against Bangladesh on Wednesday, Rohit injured his thumb. He travelled to Mumbai to meet a professional, missed the third ODI, and was given advice on how to treat the injury properly.

Abhimanyu Easwaran has been chosen by the All-India Senior Selection Committee to take Rohit's place for the opening Test, and Cheteshwar Pujara has been chosen as the vice-captain.

India's captain Rohit Sharma visited a doctor in Mumbai for treatment of the left thumb injury he suffered in the second ODI against Bangladesh. The BCCI stated in a media release that he has been given advice on proper management for this injury and will be unavailable for the first Test against Bangladesh.

"His availability for the second and final Test will be decided by the BCCI Medical Team at a later time. Abhimanyu Easwaran has been selected by the All-India Senior Selection Committee to take his position for the opening Test "It was fantastic.

The board added that Mohd. Shami and Ravindra Jadeja are not expected to play in the Test series since they have not fully recovered from their respective shoulder and knee injuries.

"Mohd Shami, a fast bowler, and Ravindra Jadeja, an all-arounder, are both out of the Test series because they have not fully recovered from their respective shoulder and knee problems. Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar have been chosen by the selectors to take the places of Shami and Jadeja, respectively "It read.

Fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat has also been included in India's Test series roster.

The 31-year-old is being called up for the Indian Test squad for just the second time in his playing career. His lone Test performance to date was in Centurion during the opening match of South Africa's 2010–2011 tour, almost 12 years ago.

Unadkat recently led Saurashtra to victory in the 2022–23 Vijay Hazare Trophy by taking the most wickets with 19, taking 19 in ten games. The left-hander, who has only appeared in one Test match, has also participated in seven One-Day Internationals and 10 Twenty20 Internationals for India. He last played for his country when India won the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka in March 2018.

India's updated squad: KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat