India announce 16-member squad for first Test against Bangladesh

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled a 16-member squad for the first Test of the Bangladesh series, set to begin on Thursday, September 19, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Rohit Sharma will captain the side, featuring seasoned players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.

India's last Test series, a 4-1 victory over England, saw notable performances, but several players from that squad, including Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar, and KS Bharat, missed out on selection for this series. Devdutt Padikkal, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar were also left out.

Virat Kohli makes his much-anticipated return to the Test setup after opting out of the England series due to personal reasons. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant also returns after his last Test appearance in December 2022, during India’s away series against Bangladesh.

Promising young players Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan have retained their spots in the squad following impressive performances against England. Left-arm seamer Yash Dayal earns his first India call-up after standout performances for India B in the Duleep Trophy 2024.

India's squad for the first Test against Bangladesh

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.