Rishabh Pant has returned to play in the Test cricket squad against Bangladesh after more than 20 months in action. On emptying India’s suitcase for the first Test against Bangladesh, the players missing earlier on home trip England series are Virat Kohli, who was absent because of baby on birth to his second child, and Jasprit Bumrah, who has been out of action since the T20 World Cup.
The first Test between India and Bangladesh will commence on the 19 September 2022 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai while the second and final test will be at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur beginning September 27.
In the same breath, this particular squad announcement also invited debate when certain other notable omissions such as Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami became apparent. Iyer’s omission raises eyebrows owing to the fact he has been on fire of late in ODIs and scored a good fifty in the Duleep trophy. But then again the way he has struggled in first class cricket, compounded with a tough year in 2024, could be the reason the selectors have shifted their focus on.
When Iyer was playing in the Test series against England earlier this year, he sustained an injury that ruled him out. Furthermore, his exclusion from the BCCI central contracts because of his not playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy also lowered his chances in making selection. His performances in latest Indian longer formats, Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament and first innings of the Duleep Trophy, were disappointing.
Iyer also made Kolkata Knight Riders the champs in IPL 2024.
The fight for the esos in the middle order in the Indian test team has also become hotter with the advent of Sarfaraz khan and the fitness of KL Rahul which has led to the himself batting at lower order.
As for Mohammed Shami, he was expect to be a part of the Bangladesh series, agarkar ajit BCCI selector gave indications. Yet, Shami remains on the road to recovery and was therefore left out of the Test squad. Instead, Shami is likely to compete in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal beginning October 11, after which he will become eligible for selection at the national level.
There are also suggestions that Shami might miss out on at least the first Test match of the New Zealand tour after the second series of the Africa subcontinent.
