No Shami-Kuldeep as Harshit and Nitish earn maiden India Test call up for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Right-arm seamer Mohammed Shami was not included in the squad as India announced their team for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against Australia next month. Following the end of the ODI World Cup 2023, the India pacer suffered an ankle injury, which forced him to stay away from the field since November last year. A lot of new faces have been included in the squad for the upcoming Test series which included players like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana.

Nitish Reddy had a terrific T20I series against Bangladesh. He delivered a performance to remember with an explosive knock of 74 and two wickets to go with it, helping India secure a massive 86-run win over Bangladesh at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.

Easwaean has started off well since the Duleep Trophy, scoring four tons in eight innings, and has managed to score 632 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 105.33 with the best score of 191 against Mumbai in the Irani Cup. Harshit Rana is yet to receive his national cap for the Indian cricket team.

Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he was referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long-term resolution of his chronic left groin issue. Opener Rohit Sharma will be leading the side and right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be his deputy.

The most awaited Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth. The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium's lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test, to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.

India's squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. (ANI)