India's Squad for England Tests Revealed

India’s Squad for England Tests Revealed, Dhruv Jurel Earns Call-Up

Against England, 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel received his first call-up to represent India as a third backup wicketkeeper option.

(Cricket News) The 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel received his first call-up as a backup wicketkeeper option because Ishan Kishan, who had reportedly taken a break from cricket due to mental fatigue, was not named in the BCCI’s 16-man squad for the first two Tests against England, which begin on January 25.

Veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami is not included in the squad as he continues to recuperate from an ankle injury, he sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in November of last year. Shami was hopeful about rejoining the Test squad, but the selectors likely wanted him to take additional rest before the final stages of the series.

While the spin combination consists of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan has managed to hold onto his spot in the team. Avesh was added to the main squad ahead of the Cape Town match based on his performance for India A during the South Africa tour. He now joins the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah to form a familiar-looking potent pace attack for India.

The inclusion of cricketer Jurel from Uttar Pradesh, who made his First-Class debut against Vidarbha last year, as a backup wicketkeeper to KL Rahul, who kept wickets in both the Test series match in South Africa and the match against KS Bharat, has surprised everyone in the squad.

The young player was part of the India A team that played two matches against their South African counterparts in December of last year, scoring 69 in the second match at Benoni and 63 for Uttar Pradesh against Kerala in the first round of the Ranji Trophy group stage.

In the current World Test Championship cycle, this will be India’s third assignment and first at home. Earlier in the year, they held hosts South Africa to a 1-1 draw in a two-match series and won the two-match series in the West Indies 1-0 after the second game was drawn.

India’s squad for first two Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.

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