BCCI announces revised Indian squad for the fifth Test against England


The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the revised Indian squad for the fifth and final Test against England, starting March 7 in Dharamsala. India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah returned to the squad after being rested for the fourth Test to manage his workload. The right-arm pacer will straightaway claim his spot in the playing XI instead of Akash Deep, who made a brilliant debut in the Ranchi Test.

KL Rahul, whose participation in the final Test was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the final Test. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring him and coordinating with specialists in London for further management of his issue, BCCI revealed in the statement.

Devdutt Padikkal is likely to make his international test debut since Rajat Patidar produced unimpressive batting performances in the six innings that he played. The 23-year-old young left-hander is set to become the fifth Indian debutant of the ongoing series after Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Akash Deep.

Washington Sundar has been released from the squad. He will join his Ranji Trophy side Tamil Nadu to play their Ranji Trophy Semi-final fixture against Mumbai, starting March 2nd, 2024. Sundar will join the India squad after the completion of the domestic fixture for the fifth Test, if need be, BCCI added.

Rohit Sharma-led side have already taken an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. But a victory in the final Test will hold them in good shape in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.