Rishabh Pant returns, BCCI announces first Test squad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 16-member full squad for the opening Test of the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh. Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant returned to the red-ball game, while a left-arm pacer earned his maiden national team call-up. 

On Sunday (September 8), the men’s national selection committee picked the Indian squad for the upcoming Chennai Test against Bangladesh. MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk, Chennai) will host the two-match India vs Bangladesh Test series opener from September 19. 

This two-match Test series will be a part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. Kanpur will host the second Test of the series, starting on September 27. After this Test series, India will host a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. 

Rohit Sharma will continue his captaincy role for the Indian team. Apart from him and the former Indian captain Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Sarfaraz Khan have been included as the batting option in the 16-member squad. 

Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are the wicketkeepers for the Chennai Test

The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has returned to Test cricket after more than one-and-a-half-year absence. Before his horrible car accident, Pant played his last Test in December 2022 against the hosts Bangladesh in Mirpur. In the opening game of the Duleep Trophy 2024/25, Pant scored seven runs and crucial 61 runs off 47 balls for India B, who beat India A by 76 runs. 

Watch: ‘Bhaut Tagda Plan Banaya Hai’ – Rishabh Pant’s epic banter with Kuldeep Yadav

Dhruv Jurel has also been named as the wicketkeeper in the Indian squad. He made his Test debut early this year during the Rajkot Test against England. Jurel has played three Tests and two T20Is. During his second Test at Ranchi against England, he won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning batting performances of 90 and 39 not out. He served for India A in the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 opener, where he equalled MS Dhoni’s most catches record in a Duleep Trophy innings with seven catches.        

Yash Dayal gets maiden call-up; Akash Deep is also included after his solid performances in the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 first round

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old uncapped left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has been included in the 16-member Indian squad. The India B pacer took one and three wickets during their match against India A at the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 opener. At the IPL 2024 auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) picked him for INR 5 crores. In his third IPL season (IPL 2024), Dayal took 15 wickets in 14 games, the joint leading wicket-taker for RCB.   

In the meantime, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the Indian pace bowling line-up. Siraj was ruled out from the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 first round due to illness. 

Also, the Bengal right-arm pacer Akash Deep has been included in the Indian Test squad. He has played one Test when he made his international cricket debut in the 2024 Ranchi Test against England. He took three wickets in his first Test. Serving for India A in the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 first round, Akash Deep claimed a four-wicket haul (4/60) and a fifer (5/56). The bowling all-rounder also scored 11 and fighting 43 runs in that Duleep Trophy game. 

Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Kuldeep Yadav are in the spin bowling option for the upcoming Chennai Test against Bangladesh.

India’s squad for the 1st Test of the Bangladesh Test series: 

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.