The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sprung a few surprises as it announced Team India squads for Tests and ODIs. While the ODI squad bore a similar look apart from a couple of forced changes, the Test team saw a few major changes, the most significant being the absence of veteran Cheteshwar Pujara.
Pujara, who has been a wall incarnate for India at No. 3 since Rahul Dravid's departure a decade ago might have played his final Test for India in a long time as the Rohit Sharma-led side steps into the transition phase ahead of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Pujara has been a prolific run-scorer in the last two seasons of the County Championship for Sussex, however, has failed to replicate the same form at the highest level for India. Since the start of 2020, Pujara has averaged below 30 and scores of 14 and 27 in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, when it mattered the most, was probably the final nail in the coffin.
Apart from Pujara, veteran pacer Umesh Yadav was dropped as well after looking off-colour in the WTC final while Mohammed Shami, who has been playing regularly since February-March, has most likely been rested. Apart from these, the rest of the squad has kept its place from the WTC final.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal was the biggest newsmaker of the day in terms of additions to the squad. The 21-year-old Mumbai prodigy after a successful domestic season as well as IPL 2023 was called up to the WTC final squad as a standby player but earned his maiden call-up in the original squad. Along with Jaiswal, the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar also earned their maiden call-ups in the Test squad.
Former India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has been made the deputy once again after he was the best batter on show for India with knocks of 89 and 46 in the WTC final, on his comeback to the Test team after more than a year. The rest of the squad remains identical as Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran will call themselves unlucky having not found a place despite consistent performances in domestic cricket.
