Rishabh Pant returns to India’s Test squad for Bangladesh series

RISHABH Pant has been named in India's squad for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, marking his return to the format after a car crash in December 2022. Pant, 26, has been performing well across formats since his return to competitive cricket last year, including India's T20 World Cup win in June.

The squad for the two-Test series, starting on September 19 in Chennai, will be led by Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli also returns to the Test team after missing the England series at home due to the birth of his second child.

Pant described his return to cricket as "nothing short of a miracle" after the crash near New Delhi, where his car hit a barrier and caught fire. He sustained injuries to his knee, wrist, ankle, and back, but returned to action after undergoing rehabilitation and led Delhi Capitals in this year’s IPL.

Dhruv Jurel has been named as the second wicketkeeper, while KL Rahul is back after recovering from an injury sustained in the first Test against England earlier this year.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack in the absence of Mohammed Shami, who is still recovering from injury. Left-arm seamer Yash Dayal has been called up for his first Test, and Akash Deep retains his place in the squad.

The spin options include Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel. The second Test will take place in Kanpur from September 27, followed by three T20 internationals.

India's squad for the 1st Test: Rohit Sharma (capt), 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.

(With inputs from AFP)