IND vs BAN: India's left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadtkat has been called in India's Test squad against Bangladesh. The left-arm will replace the injured Mohammed Shami in the team. India will play a two-match Test series in Bangladesh which will be part of the World Test Championship.
There were reports that Shami will miss the Test series and now Saurashtra's Unadkat has been called in. Shami has been ruled out due to bowling arm stress. Shami's replacement Unadkat had last played a Test in 2010. If he gets picked for any of the Test against Bangladesh, Unadkat will set the record for the lengthiest gap between two Tests, which is currently held by Parthiv Patel. The 31-year-old Unadkat led his domestic team Saurashtra to the Vijay Hazare Trophy win recently and also helped them win the maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2019-2020.
Notably, the Indian team is facing injury issues as skipper Rohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Sen are ruled out of the third ODI against Bangladesh. It is not clear whether Sharma will be fit in time for the Test series as he suffered a blow to his thumb in the second ODI. BCCI confirmed Rohit's absence after releasing a statement on Friday.
BCCI wrote, "India Captain Rohit Sharma suffered a blow to his thumb in the second over while fielding in the 2nd ODI. The BCCI Medical Team assessed him and he underwent scans at a local hospital in Dhaka. He has flown to Mumbai for specialist consultation and will miss the final ODI. A call on his availability for the upcoming Test series will be taken later."
The Statement added, "Fast bowler Kuldeep Sen complained of stiffness in his back after the first ODI. The BCCI Medical Team assessed him and he was advised to rest from the 2nd ODI. Kuldeep has been diagnosed with a stress injury and is ruled out of the series. Fellow fast bowler Deepak Chahar sustained a left hamstring strain during the 2nd ODI and is also ruled out of the series. Both Kuldeep and Deepak will now report to NCA for further management of their injuries. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has added Kuldeep Yadav to India’s squad for the third and final ODI.
