BCCI secretary Saikia and president Mithun Manhas arrive for the meeting.
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav before the the second ODI between India and Australia at Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday,  24/09/2023.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

K.L. Rahul has been re-appointed vice-captain of India’s men’s Test squad, while the spin duo of Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey along with lanky pacer Gurnoor Brar have earned their maiden Test call-ups for the one-off Test against Afghanistan to be played in New Chandigarh from June 6 to 10.

Prince Yadav, one of the standout performers of the ongoing Indian Premier League season, has received his maiden ODI call-up for the three-match series to follow beginning on June 14.

The senior national selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, met in Guwahati — the hometown of BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia — on Tuesday afternoon to pick both squads.

“There are a couple of guys who are injured who were part of the one-day squad before. With Gurnoor, we have seen a lot of promise over the last season and a half now. Tall guy with a bit of pace,” Agarkar said.

“Keeping the South African World Cup in mind, we are obviously going to try a few guys who at that point might be useful if they keep developing.

“Prince Yadav has shown a lot of promise through the domestic season. I think he had a really good Vijay Hazare (Trophy). Obviously, bowled well in the IPL. But we have seen that he has grown a lot as a bowler over the last year or so and has the necessary skills to succeed with the white ball.

“It is a great opportunity with these three one-days coming up. Because with the way the rules are structured and so much in favour of the batsmen, you are obviously looking at guys with regards to conditions in South Africa who have a chance of succeeding.

“And there might be a few more we try over the course of the next few series. These two are the ones that we have zeroed in at this point,” he added.

The Test squad does not feature Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, with both players having been rested, as clarified by Agarkar during a virtual media interaction.

Rahul thus replaces Rishabh Pant as vice-captain. Pant has also lost his place in the ODI squad to Ishan Kishan, although Agarkar stressed that there was “no doubt” over Pant’s credentials as a match-winner in Test cricket.

“KL has been Test captain before. Obviously, Rishabh was vice-captain and we want him to be the best batter that he can be and that he has always been in Test cricket. So, no, there is no other reason. That’s the best option we think at this point that we have as far as vice-captain with experience.” Agarkar said.

Apart from Jadeja, Axar Patel is another notable absentee from the squads. Agarkar, however, said Jadeja remains the No. 1 spinner for Tests.

“Jadeja has just been rested for this Test. He is aware of it. That’s why he is not in the team. He still remains a very integral part of the Test team. We know what Jadeja or Axar can do.

“This is the time we try and give some opportunity to some of the other guys. Wth regards to Tests, he still remains our number one spinner,” Agarkar said.

Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, both dealing with fitness concerns during the ongoing IPL, have been included in the ODI squad for the series starting June 13, subject to fitness clearance.

The squads: Test: Shubman Gill (Capt.), KL Rahul (Vice-capt.), Yashasvi Jaiswal, B. Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wk).

ODI: Shubman Gill (Capt.), Shreyas Iyer (Vice-capt.), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya*, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy. (* subject to fitness clearance)

The schedule: Test: June 6 to 10 (New Chandigarh).

ODIs: June 14 (Dharamsala), June 17 (Lucknow), June 20 (Chennai).

Published – May 19, 2026 06:40 pm IST

One of the few Indian batters who have consistently delivered for the country on overseas assignments, Ajinkya Rahane hasn’t just been another victim to the talent pool the country has. Once the most reliable No. 4 batter in Test cricket, Rahane’s stocks have fallen so hard over the last 2 years that he is no longer in the national team’s scheme of things in any of the three formats. Though not the most outspoken cricketers India have produced, Rahane did expose a flaw in the current selection committee, saying no communication took place from the bosses over his exit from the Test team after the 2023 World Test Championship final.

“When I was dropped a few years ago, I made runs and was picked for the World Test Championship final and then was dropped again. But what is in my control? To play. I did well in domestic cricket and in the IPL and was called again. Whenever an experienced player makes a comeback, one knows that he will get 2-3 series. I knew that South Africa was a challenging series and I was expecting a call, but I wasn’t picked. I felt bad because I have been serving for so long,” Rahane said in an intervie with Indian Express.

Rahane revealed that he was advised by many to speak to the management and the selectors about his situation but he couldn’t do that as the ‘other person’ wasn’t ready to talk. The veteran batter expected himself to be picked for India’s next assignment, after the World Test Championship final in 2023, but was shown he door, without any explanation.

“I’m not the person who will go and ask why I’m being dropped. There was no communication. Many said ‘go and talk’ but one can only talk when the other person is ready to talk. If he is not ready, there is no point fighting. I wanted to talk one on one. I never messaged. I felt odd when I was dropped after the WTC final because I had worked hard for it. I thought I would be there for the next series. There is no point cribbing. I can only do what is in my hands. There is a belief that I will make a comeback,” said the 36-year-old.

Players’ PR teams also play a big role in creating fan pressure over selection or non-selection. Rahane, however, revealed that he doesn’t have a PR team to push his case.

“I was always shy, now I have opened up. My focus has been to play cricket and go home. Nobody told me that going ahead, certain things will be needed. Today also, sometimes I feel ki bas cricket khelo, ghar jao. Now I am told I need to speak up, talk about my hard work. People say you need to be in the news … I don’t have a PR team, my only PR is my cricket. I have now realised that staying in the news is important. Otherwise, people think that I’m out of the circle,” said Rahane.

Rahane wasn’t in the best of form for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign but found his Midas touch again, as he scored a ton in the quarterfinal against Haryana at Eden Gardens. In the process, the veteran batter also hit a hundred in his 200th first-class match.

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury, the BCCI said on Tuesday, putting to rest all the speculation over his participation in the premier tournament. The senior men’s team selection committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement for the mega event starting February 19 in Pakistan. India will open their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.

The selectors have also included Varun Chakaravarthy in the team, the mystery spinner replacing batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was named in the provisional squad.

India will play all their matches of the tournament in Dubai under a hybrid model agreement.

Bumrah, who has already undergone a lower back surgery in 2022, sustained another stress-related injury while bowling in the final Test against Australia at Sydney, where he pulled out after sending down 10 overs in the first innings.

“Bumrah was asked to off-load for five weeks after which his rehabilitation at NCA happened under strength & conditioning trainer Rajnikanth and physio Thulasi.

“The report sent by NCA head Nitin Patel clearly states that while he has completed his rehabilitation and scan reports seemed to be okay, it couldn’t be concluded that whether he would be bowling fit by the time the tournament starts. Hence the selectors didn’t take any risk,” a top BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“Nitin left the ball in Ajit’s (chief selector Agarkar) court and hence no one would want to stick their necks out and take the risk of putting an unfit player in squad. If medical team doesn’t green-light fully, how can the selection committee take that risk,” the official said.

During a meeting between the chairman of selector Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma in Ahmedabad, it was deliberated whether they would take an unfit Bumrah to the Champions Trophy or go for the inexperienced Rana.

“The stakes are too high and it would have been a complete embarrassment had Bumrah broken down in a match. The NCA led by Nitin Patel had once burnt their hands in 2022 when they pushed Bumrah for the bilateral series against Australia before the T20 World Cup and he had broken down to be out for one year.

“That was Chetan Sharma’s committee and so Agarkar didn’t want to take a chance.” It is understood that the main bone of contention was that Bumrah is yet to start bowling full tilt and those in the know of things said that it is very difficult to get match-fit in such a short time.

Rather, he can come back for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and then lead India in England as Rohit Sharma is unlikely to be picked for Tests again.

However, the selection committee picked a fifth spinner in the squad in Varun Chakravarthy, who was also added for the England series. The fall guy this time was young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who wouldn’t be finding a place in the playing XI with Rohit and Shubman Gill opening the innings.

Jaiswal is among the non-travelling reserves along with Shivam Dube (like-for-like for Hardik Pandya) and Mohammed Siraj (like-for-like for Mohammed Shami).

Chakravarthy, who has been very successful in T20Is, made his ODI debut in Cuttack based on his T20 form and the KKR bowler is a personal favourite of head coach Gambhir.

Two picks in this Champions Trophy squad are based on Gambhir’s recommendations — Rana and Chakravarthy — both of whom coincidentally are also part of IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders.

Team: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy. PTI KHS KHS AH KHS AH AH

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025, a BCCI released confirmed on Tuesday night. The BCCI said that the bowler failed to recover from a lower back injury that he sustained during the final India vs Australia Test in Sydney. According to a report by news agency PTI that came right before the official announcement, the Sports and Medical Science team of National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru had left it on the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee to decide on Jasprit Bumrah‘s selection for the Champions Trophy.

The report said: “There are two parameters of fitness that the NCA checks before clearing a player’s return to action. It is understood that once Bumrah completed his rehabilitation for his lower back injury under strength & conditioning coach Rajnikanth and physio Thulasi, he was declared medically fit. However, doubts still remain over whether he is bowling fit or not before a tournament as big as the Champions Trophy.”

The ball was then put in Agarkar’s court. The news agency said the chairman of selection committee, who is in Ahmedabad, had a chat with skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir on the issue on Tuesday.

“Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement. Team India have also named Varun Chakaravarthy in the squad. The spinner will replace Yashasvi Jaiswal who was initially named in the provisional squad,” the BCCI said in a release.

Updated Team India Squad for Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Non Travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.

With PTI inputs 

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has cast doubt on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inclusion in India’s final 15-man squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, suggesting that the young opener may no longer fit into the team’s plans. Chopra believes that with India’s batting order settling down, Jaiswal might not be needed, and Mohammed Siraj could instead be drafted in as a replacement, particularly if Jasprit Bumrah fails to recover in time.

Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut in the series opener against England in Nagpur on February 6, looked promising before falling to Jofra Archer for 15. However, with Virat Kohli returning to the XI for the second game, the 22-year-old was immediately dropped, raising questions about his role in India’s long-term plans.

Chopra, speaking on his YouTube show, stated that India’s top-order is looking stable with Rohit Sharma back in form, Shubman Gill as vice-captain, and Virat Kohli an immovable presence. He further added that Shreyas Iyer’s match-winning 59 off 36 balls in the first ODI had potentially reshaped India’s approach to squad selection.

“The batting order is looking set. Rohit has started scoring runs. Shubman Gill is our vice-captain, and he is in good form. Virat Kohli will eventually return to form. Even if he doesn’t, god forbid, India are not going to drop him,” Chopra said.

“Shreyas Iyer is at No. 4. At No. 5, whether it’s KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, or Axar Patel, the slot is settled. One of the two—Rahul and Pant—will have to be left out. And then you have an extra batter. You might not require Yashasvi Jaiswal. That’s a possibility.”

Chopra hinted that India initially wanted a left-right combination in the top order but have seemingly abandoned that approach after Iyer’s impact innings.

“You wanted to maintain a left-right combination in the batting order. Now, you won’t be able to do it. You have played your hand, and that has backfired,” he added.

With Bumrah’s availability for the Champions Trophy still uncertain, Chopra suggested that Siraj could find a way back into the squad. Siraj was not included in the ODI squad against England or the preliminary Champions Trophy squad, but his experience could be crucial if India requires three frontline fast bowlers.

“You can’t play Yashasvi. So, if you can’t play him, why take him to the Champions Trophy? I think Mohammed Siraj’s chances of playing are higher than Yashasvi Jaiswal’s,” Chopra explained.

“I see a strong chance for Mohammed Siraj to be included, especially if you feel the need for experience in the bowling attack against Pakistan. You might want to go in with three fast bowlers—Siraj could come in. Then, Yashasvi might have to make way.”

India’s strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who sustained a back injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January, is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. While he was named in India’s preliminary squad, his participation hinges on a final fitness assessment.

R Ashwin has sympathised with Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of BCCI’s selection committee.© AFP

Virat Kohli (L) and Rohit Sharma© AFP