India’s limited-overs vice-captain Kl Rahul who opens innings for Men in Blue in all three formats will be missing the upcoming two-match Test series against Black Caps due to muscle strain as Surya Kumar Yadav would be replacing him in the longest format of the game. The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed that the ace batsman sustained a muscle strain on his left thigh and will undergo rehabilitation center in Bengaluru but he is expected to be fit before the tour of South Africa in mid-December.
The first test match will be played in Kanpur from November 25th-29th 2021 followed by the second test in Mumbai from December 3 to 7th 2021. India will have one of the busiest calendar years this year trailing behind England only when it comes to playing more matches in a single year. After competing in a two-match series against Black Caps they will be next locking horns against South Africa in Johannesburg for a three-match Test series starting from December 17th, 2021.
India’s Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
India is currently rotating their players considering the workload of players in mind as Sharma, Pant who was part of three-match T20 series has been rested for two-match Test series as the likes of Bumrah and Shami has been rested for throughout Men in Blue home series against Black Caps so that they are charged and ready for upcoming Proteas tour. Virat Kohli will be resting for 1st Test but he will be back as a leader in 2nd Test in Mumbai.
While India under the leadership of Rohit Sharma in white-ball format has done wonders in a three-match series against Black Caps it is a good sign for Indian cricket in years to come.
