With Virat Kohli unavailable for the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons, the Indian selectors have brought Rajat Patidar into the squad.
Following Virat Kohli's request for a personal leave of absence from the first two Test matches, all eyes were on the selection committee to decide who would be named as his replacement. In the first Test, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul would bat in the middle order for India, but there was no other backup hitter in the squad to deploy as a substitution for a concussion or in case of an injury at the last minute.
It is understood that Indian team management and selectors unanimously decided on Patidar, who made his comeback after missing almost eight months due to injury.
In the first unofficial Test in Ahmedabad, Patidar scored a remarkable 151 against England Lions. His outstanding track record in First-class cricket significantly earned him a call-up to the Indian squad.
Patidar's selection means that India aren't looking at Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane at the moment and that the wait gets just that bit longer for Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan.
India Test Squad vs England for First Two Tests:
Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rajat Patidar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Srikar Bharat, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah.
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