Virat Out for Personal Reasons; Jadeja, Rahul Awaiting Fitness Clearance in IND vs ENG Series

On Saturday, February 10, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the team selection for the last three games of the ongoing five-match Test series against England, noting the significant absence of Virat Kohli. Kohli, who was not part of the team for the first two matches, will also miss the remaining series, with the BCCI expressing continued support for the ex-India captain. Although Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul are back in the squad, their participation in the upcoming third Test in Rajkot, commencing on February 15, hinges on a green light from the medical team.

Kohli’s absence from the series was officially announced by the BCCI, citing personal reasons for his non-involvement. The 35-year-old cricketer was on the verge of surpassing 2000 Test runs against England, needing just 52 runs to reach the milestone and further solidify his record against them.

Shreyas Iyer is another player not featuring in the squad due to a back strain that sidelined him for most of 2022 and 2023, including missing the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the IPL 2023 season. He aims for a comeback in the 2024 IPL season.

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul are making progress with their rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and have been named in the squad for the remaining fixtures. Their final inclusion in the match lineup will depend on medical clearance. Jadeja is anticipated to be match-ready for the fourth Test in Ranchi, while Rahul might play in the upcoming Rajkot Test.

The announced squad includes: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul*, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (Wicketkeeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, and Akash Deep.