India’s Tour of Australia: BCCI Grants Paternity Leave to Kohli; Includes Rohit Sharma in Test Squad

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has granted paternity leave to captain Virat Kohli, who will return to India after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide on December 17.

Rohit Sharma has been included in the Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI informed after the All-India Senior Selection Committee met on Sunday to pick certain replacements after receiving injury reports and updates from the BCCI Medical Team.

At the selection committee meeting held on October 26, Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plans to return to India after the first Test in Adelaide.
The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain. He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide.

The BCCI Medical Team has been monitoring Rohit Sharma’s fitness and has briefed All-India Senior Selection Committee on the same. In consultation with Sharma, it has been decided to rest him for the ODIs and T20Is in Australia to regain full fitness and he has been included in India’s Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI said.
The Selection Committee has added Sanju Samson as an additional wicket-keeper to India’s ODI squad.

Veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma has been undergoing his rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Once he fully recovers and gains sufficient match fitness, he will be added to India’s Test squad, it added.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the T20I series owing to a shoulder injury. The selectors have named T Natarajan as a replacement.

Wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha sustained injuries to both his hamstrings during his side’s IPL game on 3rd November. A call on his availability will be taken later. Young pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti will not be able to travel to Australia as he is still working with the medical team on his bowling workload management, the Board further said.
The revised squads are as below:

Team India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan.

Team India ODI squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper).

Team India Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj.