As a result, Dhruv Jurel is now expected to warm the bench and act as injury cover for Rishabh, despite having impressed with the limited opportunities he has received in the senior’s absence. Jurel took over the wicketkeeping duties for the entire series against the West Indies in early October and also reached his maiden Test hundred in the Ahmedabad encounter.
The openers are Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, while Sai Sudharsan will bat at number 3, followed by skipper Gill at 4. Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal, who has played only a few Tests since his debut in March 2024, has also been given a place as a back-up batting option. However, it now seems that the Indian team has left Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was on the bench for over two years.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had left the ongoing tour of Australia midway, will return to his national duties, indicating his return to full fitness. Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are the spin-bowling all-rounders present in the squad picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led selectors’ panel.
Talking about the pacers, star bowler Jasprit Bumrah will have another lethal option in addition to Mohammed Siraj. Meanwhile, Akash Deep is the third pacer in the side as Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are not there.
Guwahati makes Test debut as series decider
The epic showdown between the current World Test Championship winners and the two-time WTC winners will conclude with the second Test at the ACA Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati – the country’s newest Test venue.
India’s Test Team: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep
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