Dhruv Jurel earns maiden call-up as India announce squad for first two Tests against England; no Ishan, Shami

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 16-man squad for the first two Tests against England, set to begin on January 25. One notable inclusion is 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel, who has earned his maiden call-up as a third back-up wicketkeeping option. Ishan Kishan, who had taken a break from cricket due to mental fatigue, has not been named in the squad. Additionally, veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami is absent as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in November last year.

In addition to Shami, Prasidh Krishna, who played in both games of the Test series in South Africa, has also been left out. Krishna managed to take only two wickets for 130 runs. On the other hand, Avesh Khan has retained his place in the squad. Following his impressive performance for India A during the South Africa tour, he was added to the main squad ahead of the match in Cape Town. Avesh will join the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mukesh Kumar to form a formidable pace attack for India. The spin combination will consist of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav.

This series against England will be India's third assignment in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle and their first at home. They previously won a two-match series in West Indies 1-0, with the second game ending in a draw. They also held hosts South Africa to a 1-1 draw in a two-match series earlier this year.

India's squad for first two Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan