India vs Australia 2020 squad: Rohit Sharma returns in revised Test squad

India squad for Australia tour 2020: Rohit Sharma has been included in the Test team squad while skipper Virat Kohli will miss final three Tests against Australia to be at the birth of his first child.

Rohit Sharma was earlier omitted from India squad for the four-match Test series against Australia.

India limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma has been included in the Test squad for India’s four-match Test series during a three-month-long tour to Australia. However, the flamboyant opener has been rested for ODIs and T20Is. Rohit was earlier omitted from all squads.

"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 Mr 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 board said in a media release issued on Monday.

 

The BCCI has also granted paternity leave to skipper Virat Kohli, who will return to India after the first Test in Adelaide. Kohli's wife, Anushka Sharma, is due to give birth in the first week of January. "At the selection committee meeting held on October 26th, 2020, Mr Virat Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plans to return to India after the first Test in Adelaide," the BCCI release said. "The BCCI has granted paternity leave to the Indian captain. He will return after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide."

Chakravarthy out, Natarajan in

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu 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. Ishant Sharma has been undergoing his rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He will be added to India’s Test squad once he regains match fitness. A call on the availability of Wriddhiman Saha, who has hamstring tear, will be taken later. Sanju Samson has been added to the ODI squad as an additional wicket-keeper. Young fast bowler 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 schedule for India's tour to Australia was confirmed in October. The ODIs will start on November 27 followed by matches on November 29 and December 2. The T20Is will be held on December 4, 6 and 8 followed by the first of the four Test matches in Adelaide from December 17.

The revised squads are as below: T20Is : Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-capt, wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan ODIs : Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-capt, wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wk) Tests : Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj