Rahul, Pant Return for Bangladesh Test Series

India has announced its squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, with K. L. Rahul and Rishabh Pant making a much-awaited comeback. Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has also earned a maiden Test call-up. The series will begin on September 19 in Chennai.

Bangladesh enters the series with high confidence after a historic 2-0 clean sweep of Pakistan on its home soil. Rishabh Pant’s return to the Test side marks his first appearance since his car accident in December 2022. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami, who underwent ankle surgery, will miss the series.

Left-arm seamer Yash Dayal has been rewarded for his impressive performances in domestic cricket with a maiden Test call-up. His selection is seen as an eye on the upcoming five-Test series in Australia. The 16-member squad also includes KL Rahul, who was ruled out of the England series after one Test. Akash Deep, who made his debut during that series, has retained his place after impressing in the Duleep Trophy.

Rahul’s last Test appearance was in January against England, after which he was sidelined with a quadriceps injury. He showcased good form in the Duleep Trophy, scoring 37 and 57 for India A. Pant, on the other hand, scored 7 and 61 for India B and also took seven catches behind the stumps.

Dayal also impressed in the Duleep Trophy, picking up three wickets in the fourth innings to help India B to a comfortable win. He has played 24 first-class games so far, taking 76 wickets at an average of 28.89.

Dhruv Jurel, who made his Test debut against England and scored 190 runs in three Tests, is the second wicket-keeper in the side. India has left out Rajat Patidar, KS Bharat, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, and Mukesh Kumar from the England series squad.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are expected to lead the pace attack. In the spin department, India has gone with the usual quartet of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav.

The first Test against Bangladesh will be played in Chennai from September 19, and the second Test will be held in Kanpur from September 27. The two Tests will be followed by three T20Is.

India’s squad for first Test vs Bangladesh

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